UC-NRLF 


SB    11    MflM 


Indian 


t .    o  I  0  ona er  vat  i 


of    Indiana 


re  Forestry 
orifere 


Ohio,  Illinois  and  Indiana 

October  22  and  23,  1919 


Manaf  ement  of 

The  Department  of  Conservation 
State  of  Indiana 


THE  DEPARTMENT 
OF  CONSERVATION 

STATE  OF  INDIANA 


W.  A.  GUTHRIE,  Chairman 
STANLEY  COULTER 
JOHN  W.  HOLTZMAN 
RICHARD  M.  HOLMAN,  Secretary 


Publication  No.  10 


RICHARD  LIEBER,  DIRECTOR 


The  Tri-State  Forestry  Conference 

OHIO,  ILLINOIS,  INDIANA 


INDIANAPOLIS,  INDIANA 

CLAYPOOL  HOTEL 
OCTOBER  22  and  23.  1919 


MANAGEMENT 

OF 

THE  DEPARTMENT  OF  CONSERVATION 
STATE  OF  INDIANA 


FORT  WAYNE  PRINTING  COMPANY 

CONTRACTORS  FOR  INDIANA  STATE  PRINTING  AND  BINDING 

FORT  WAYNE,  INDIANA 

1920 


T 


THE  TRI-STATE  FORESTRY  CONFERENCE 

October  22  and  23,  1919 

INDEX. 

Wednesday  Morning  Session 5-19 

Hon.  W.  A.  Guthrie 5 

Mr.  Evans  Woollen . . . .          6 

Hon.  James  P.  Goodrich 6-7 

Mr.   Edmund    Secrest 7-11 

Mr.  R.  B.  Miller 11-16 

Mr.  Charles  C.  Deam 16-19 

Wednesday  Afternoon   Session 19-43 

Mr.    Charles    G.    Sauers 19-22 

Lt.-Col.  Henry  S.  Graves 23-33 

Mr.  J.  G.  Peters 34-40 

Discussion 40-43 

Wednesday  Evening,  Banquet  Session 43-64 

Mr.  Charles  Bookwalter 44-45 

Mr.  P.  S.  Ridsdale 45-46 

Mr.  Charles  Bookwalter 46-47 

Prof.  H.  H.  Chapman 47-56 

Mr.  Wilson  Compton 56-63 

Discussion    63-64 

Thursday  Morning  Session 64 

Mr.   Edmund    Secrest 64-68 

Dr.  F.  W.  Shepardson 68-71 

Mr.   Richard   Lieber 71-75 

Mr.  Marcus   Schaff 75-79 

'  Mr.  I.  C.  Williams 79-84 

Discussion    84 

Thursday  Afternoon  Session 85 

Discussion    85-87 

Prof.  Stanley  Coulter 87-92 

Mr.  P.  S.  Ridsale 92 

Mr.   Findlay  Torrence 92-96 

Mr.  Harry  Scarce 96-100 

Report  of  Resolutions  Committee ; 100-103 

i 


THE  TRI-STATE  FORESTRY  CONFERENCE 

October  22  and  23,  1919 
WEDNESDAY  MORNING  SESSION  OCT.  22,  1919. 

The  meeting  was  called  to  order  at  10:00  a.  m.,  with  Hon.  W.  A. 
Guthrie  presiding. 

HON.  W.  A.  GUTHRIE :  Fellow  citizens,  we  welcome  you  here  today. 
It  is  quite  fitting  that  the  Tri-State  Forestry  Conference  should  be  called 
here  in  the  center  of  what  has  been  the  finest  hardwood  forest  of  the 
United  States. 

We  are  now  entering  upon  an  era  which  will  witness  a  great  advance 
in  the  reforestation  which  should  produce  and  conserve  our  timber.  The 
shortage  of  timber  is  a  source  of  concern  to  many  wood  working  plants 
and  to  plan  for  the  future  will  give  forth  much  for  you  gentlemen  to  work 
out.  Our  States  have  produced  some  of  the  best  and  most  valuable  timber 
of  the  nation.  We  have  had  such  an  abundance  "of  timber  that  we  have 
overlooked  the  rapidity  with  which  we  have  been  using  it,  and  now  we 
are  unable  to  supply  the  demand. 

Ohio,  Illinois  and  Indiana  are  three  of  the  seven  states  whose  sup- 
plies feed  the  world.  We  are  in  the  lead  in  live  stock,  agriculture  and 
manufacturing. 

Many  of  our  sister  states  are  ahead  of  us  in  the  reforestation  and  are 
appropriating  more  money  for  this  work.  Pennsylvania  appropriates 
$315,000.00  each  year  and  has  a  holding  of  over  six  or  eight  million  dollars. 
New  York  $288,000.00,  Michigan  $115,000.00  and  many  of  the  states  from 
$25,000.00  to  $75,000.00.  Indiana  has  only  been  appropriating  $7,400.00  for 
all  purposes.  Many  foreign  countries  control  their  forests  by  handling 
I*  scientifically  and  they  are  able  to  pay  a  revenue  of  three  or  more  per  cent, 
at  the  same  time  keep  their  forest  intact. 

Statistics  show  before  the  war  that  Belgium  had  a  population  of  652 
to  the  square  mile  and  yet  had  18%  in  timber.  Switzerland  235  population 
to  the  square  mile  with  23%  in  timber.  France  190  to  the  square  mile 
with  23%  in  timber.  Germany  25%,  Austria  35%,  yet  in  Indiana  with 
only  75  population  we  have  less  than  10%  in  timber. 

The  future  of  the  timber  problems  of  the  three  states  are  similar  and 

it  is  for  this  reason  that  the  three  states  have  met  here  for  this  conference. 

If  the  timber  supply  for  the  future  is  to  be  assured  then  the  wood  using 

industries  of  the  states  must  understand  better  how  to  control  the  influ- 

\  ences  which  are  now  at  work  destroying  the  supply. 

The  public  must  take  an  immediate  interest  in  the  timber  lands  and  see 
that  legislation  is  enacted  which  will  make  for  the  use  of  permanent  mill, 
forest  development,  place  timber  on  the  market  only  as  needed,  give 
adequate  forest  fire  protection  and  assure  renewal  after  logging. 


^•96028 


'We1  have 'with  *us  today  some  very  able  and  distinguished  gentlemen, 
men  who  are  authority  along  different  lines,  so  we  know  that  much  good 
should  come  out  of  this  convention  and  that  we  should  work  out  some  plan 
which  will  bring  about  better  forestry  development.  We  had  arranged 
today  for  your  chairman,  a  man  who  had  been  foremost  in  forestry,  who 
is  President  of  the  American  Forestry  Association, — Mr.  Charles  Lathrop 
Pack — but  who  was  taken  seriously  sick  and  sent  this  telegram  last  night: 
"Mr.  Richard  Lieber,  Indianapolis :  I  am  disappointed  not  to  be  able  to 
be  in  Indianapolis  tomorrow.  I  am  confined  to  my  room  with  a  hard 
cold  in  my  throat.  My  doctor  forbids  my  going  out  of  doors.  Wish  the 
conference  every  success  and  send  best  greetings.  Charles  Lathrop  Pack." 

Indianapolis  always  has  been  ready  to  take  the  place  if  one  falls  out 
and  we  have  invited  one  of  our  leading  citizens  who  is  the  head  of  one  of 
our  largest  financial  houses,  whose  name  stands  out  for  honesty,  integrity 
and  ability  and  who  was  the  fuel  director  of  the  State  during  the  war. 
It  gives  me  great  pleasure  to  introduce  to  you  Mr.  Evans  Woollen  of  this 
city.  (Applause) 

MR.  EVANS  WOOLLEN:  I  have  protested  to  Senator  Guthrie  that 
there  is  no  appropriateness  in  his  invitation.  Perhaps  an  excuse  for  it 
and  for  my  acceptance  of  it  may  be  found  in  the  fact  that  during  my 
service  as  Federal  Fuel  Administrator  for  Indiana,  I  came  to  some 
measure  of  appreciation  of  the  importance  of  the  conservation  of  fuel  sup- 
plies and  this  realization  was  confirmed  later  during  a  meeting  in  Wash- 
ington of  the  coal  dealers  when  they  were  talking  of  substituting  wood 
for  coal.  However,  whether  appropriately  here  or  inappropriately,  I  am 
glad  to  have  the  privilege  of  greeting  you  and  presenting  to  you  Hon. 
James  P.  Goodrich,  Governor  of  Indiana.  (Applause) 

HON.  JAMES  P.  GOODRICH:  Mr.  Chairman  and  gentlemen  of  the 
conference,  I  am  glad  to  add  a  word  of  welcome  to  you  and  to  thank  you 
for  coming  here  today. 

Conservation  is  looked  upon  with  a  sort  of  mild  tolerance.  It  was 
just  about  ten  years  ago  that  we  started  to  think  about  it  at  all.  We  are 
just  beginning  to  realize  how  prodigal  had  been  our  waste  of  the 
basic  resources  of  our  country.  We  are  just  beginning  to  awaken  to  the 
fact  that  we  have  wasted  them  in  an  almost  criminal  way.  I  have  lived 
my  whole  life  in  Indiana.  I  was  born  at  a  time  when  the  forest  land  far 
exceeded  the  clear  land  and  I  have  seen  millions  of  feet  of  walnut  and 
poplar  and  the  best  white  oak  that  ever  grew  out  of  the  ground  wasted 
in  this  State.  We  are  now  having  to  get  our  supply  from  the  south  and 
southwest  to  keep  our  factories  going.  It  is  a  tremendous  difficulty,  because 
with  the  increasing  freight  rate,  it  becomes  more  and  more  difficult  to 
get  it. 

And  so  we  need  to  look  out  for  the  waste  lands  of  these  three  States 
and  begin  to  regrow  the  forests  that  we  have  wasted  to  undo  the  mistakes 
of  the  past  as  nearly  as  we  possibly  can.  We  have  hundreds  of  thous- 
ands of  acres  of  land  in  Indiana  that  can't  be  devoted  to  agriculture 
that  could  be  used  to  raise  timber.  We  must  remember  that  we  are  not 
engaging  in  this  work  for  the  immediate  future,  it  is  more  for  the  far 
distant  future.  The  trees  that  we  plant  today  will  not  come  into  com- 


mercial  use  until  our  grandchildren  are  running  this  country."  'it  'is 
the  work  for  tomorrow  and  for  the  future  of  our  country.  I  take  it  that 
the  trees  that  are  planted  as  a  result  of  this  meeting  which  will  come 
to  their  full  growth  perhaps  in  a  hundred  years  from  now  will  be  the 
breathing  spots  and  play  grounds.  We  are  not  spending  very  much  money, 
but  we  are  getting  results,  buying  up  small  tracts  of  forests,  putting  state 
parks  here  and  there  over  the  State. 

I  am  glad  to  have  you  here.  I  congratulate  you  upon  the  great  work 
in  which  you  are  engaged  because  of  what  it  means  to  the  future  of  our 
country.  It  is  a  public  question.  But  you  can't  afford  to  grow  forests 
on  land  worth  two  or  three  hundred  dollars  an  acre.  It  don't  pay  and 
private  owners  can't  do  it. 

I  really  know  so  little  of  this  question  and  some  of  you  men  here  are 
so  much  better  able  to  speak  upon  the  subject  than  I  am  so  I  am  going 
to  give  you  a  chance  to  talk.  I  thank  you.  (Applause) 

MR.  WOOLLEN:  Governor  Cox  and  Governor  Lowden  have  found  it 
impossible  to  be  present.  We  will  now  have  the  satisfaction  of  listening 
to  Mr.  Edmund  Secrest,  Forester  of  Ohio.  (Applause) 

MR.  EDMUND  SECREST:  Mr.  Chairman  and  gentlemen  of  the  con- 
vention, I  am  certainly  glad  to  be  with  you  this  morning  to  tell  you  some- 
thing of  forestry  conditions  in  Ohio. 

Ohio  is  a  state  of  relatively  small  farms,  the  average  of  which  is 
eighty-eight  acres.  The  lands  in  farms,  or  forest  tracts  aggregate  twenty- 
six  million  acres  and  of  this  area  approximately  one  million,  three  hun- 
dred thousand  acres,  or  five  per  cent,  could  be  utilized  in  some  form  of 
agricultural  development.  There  are  three  million,  five  hundred  thousand 
acres  of  woodland  in  the  State  of  which  some  five  hundred  thousand 
acres  are  in  large  buildings,  other  than  farm  lands  in  southeast  Ohio. 
The  average  farm  woodland  is  twelve  acres  in  extent.  The  composition 
of  the  native  forest  is  predominantly  hardwood  with  occasional  sporadic 
coniferous  areas  in  the  Ohio  river  countries. 

The  farm  woodlands  on  eighty  per  cent,  of  the  State's  area  are  on 
land  of  considerable  agricultural  value.  These  tracts  are  being  encroached 
upon  directly  by  clearing  for  tillage  or  pasturage,  and  indirectly  by  live 
stock  grazing.  It  may  be  expected  as  a  matter  of  course  that  woodlands 
on  lands  of  high  productive  value  will  gradually  lessen  in  extent,  with 
more  intensive  agricultural  practices  superinduced  by  a  greater  demand 
for  farm  products,  and  the  decreasing  size  of  farms.  The  woodlands  of  this 
type  were  representative  of  the  most  valuable  hardwood  forests  of  the 
country.  It  is  from  them  that  much  of  the  raw  material  for  the  wood 
using  industries  is  obtained  for  they  contain  the  great  bulk  of  the  remain- 
ing original  forests  of  the  State.  First  quality  white  oak,  red  oak,  yellow 
poplar,  white  ash,  black  walnut  and  elm  came  from  the  most  productive 
soils,  and  strange  though  it  may  seem,  the  farm  woodlands  of  central  and 
northern  Ohio  contain  the  original  stands,  while  those  of  the  inherent  tim- 
ber soils  of  southern  Ohio  passed  over  a  half  century  ago.  A  logical  land 
classification  would  place  this  class  of  farm  woodlands  within  the  zone 
of  agricultural  production.  On  the  other  hand,  their  passing  will  require 
time  for  there  are  many  landowners  who  cannot  be  persuaded  to  part  with 


'  *  '  *  their'  wb'o'dlarid's  even  though  they  exist  upon  land  of  high  value.  Probably 
their  number  will  increase;  certainly  there  has  been  a  decided  change  in 
attitude  and  sentiment  during  the  past  decade  in  favor  of  woodland  main- 
tenance. Nevertheless  we  cannot  escape  the  conviction  that  woodlands 
on  land  worth  from  one  hundred  to  three  hundred  dollars  per  acre  need 
not  be  considered  a  dependable  future  resource.  Economically  these 
acres  represent  in  the  aggregate  a  considerable  loss  to  the  commonwealth. 
The  mere  fact  that  they  occupy  lands  of  high  value  even  though  they  be 
productive  forests  would  in  itself  constitute  misutilization.  Through  the 
deterioiating  influence  of  grazing  these  detached  bodies  of  native  forest 
for  the  most  part  are  cumberers  of  the  ground  with  the  original  trees 
mature,  or  culls,  the  young  growth  lacking  or  of  inferior  composition,  the 
shade  too  dense  for  the  growth  of  nutritious  grasses,  these  tracts  are 
neither  good  forest  nor  good  pasture.  It  is  true  that  many  of  them  can 
be  rehabilitated.  In  fact  by  proper  protection  and  management,  regenera- 
tion by  natural  seeding  is  most  satisfactory. 

There  is  a  field  for  farm  forestry  within  the  regions  mentioned — the 
steep  slopes  along  streams,  overflow  lands,  ravines,  etc.,  which  could  be 
given  over  more  profitably  to  timber  growing  than  other  purposes.  The 
farmer's  interest  in  this  phase  is  fortified  by  the  direct  benefits  accruing 
from  the  small  woodland.  From  it  he  would  have  available  for  farm  use 
material  for  construction,  posts,  fuel,  etc.  He  will  appreciate  more  and 
more  the  value  of  shelter  belts,  both  for  protection  and  utility.  It  may 
be  expected  that  such  forestry  can  be  promoted  with  moderate  success 
in  the  better  agricultural  sections,  and  some  progress  has  been  made  in 
this  direction. 

Before  leaving  this  phase  of  the  discussion  it  may  be  well  to  state  that 
hundreds  of  farmers  are  attempting  in  greater  or  less  degree  to  maintain 
and  manage  their  small  woodlands  in  accordance  with  recognized  prin- 
ciples of  forestry,  without  regard  for  the  value  of  the  land  on  which 
they  exist.  From  this  fact,  however,  there  can  be  no  outgrowth  of  estab- 
lished policy  with  reference  to  such  tracts,  nor  even  will  there  be  any 
assurance  that  the  successors  to'  the  property  of  these  men  will  continue 
their  practices. 

The  unglaciated  hill  lands  of  the  southeast  quarter  of  Ohio  are  the 
inherent  timber  areas  of  the  state.  A  million  acres  could  be  devoted  to  this 
purpose  without  infringing  on  agricultural  development.  The  woodlands 
in  this  section  are  in  holdings  of  from  two  hundred  to  twenty  thousand 
acres,  small  portions  of  which  are  utilized  for  desultory  farm  operations. 
Surface  land  values  range  from  two  dollars  to  twenty-five  dollars  per 
acre.  During  the  early  part  of  the  last  century,  the  original  forest  was 
taken  up  in  large  holdings  by  furnace  companies,  which  led  to  the  develop- 
ment of  the  charcoal  iron  industry.  The  timber  was  converted  into  char- 
coal which  was  utilized  in  the  reduction  of  the  local  ore.  Up  to  the  time 
of  the  collapse  of  this  industry  in  the  early  seventies,  not  only  the  original 
forest  but  oftentimes  second  growth  and  even  third  growth  was  used. 
The  successive  cuttings  affected  the  composition  of  forest,  but  the  most 
deleterious  results  occurred  through  the  conversion  of  high  forest  to 
coppice,  and  the  weakening  of  the  reproductive  capacity  with  each  cut- 


9 

ting.  Following  this  period  the  surface  lands  were  almost  abandoned, 
excepting  that  such  portions  which  could  be  tilled  were  cleared  and 
farmed.  As  the  woodland  developed  it  was  again  xmt  over  principally 
for  tie  timber.  The  promiscuous  clearing  for  tillage  has  complicated  the 
problems  involved  in  rehabilitating  these  areas,  converting  steep  hill  sides 
into  fields  has  always  been  a  common  practice.  Lack  of  soil  fertility  or 
indifference  as  well  as  difficulties  in  maintaining  the  fertility  leads  to  the 
abandonment  of  the  land  resulting  in  a  reversion  to  the  old  field  type 
of  forest.  This  type  is  difficult  to  deal  with  because  it  is  so  inferior  in 
composition  and  stand,  resulting  oftentimes  in  mere  weed  growth. 

Artificial  reforestation  by  private  individuals  of  the  old  field  where  the 
typical  growth  prevails  in  impracticable  in  many  instances  because  of 
the  excessive  costs  of  formation  and  subsequent  cleaning.  The  native 
forests  under  a  system  of  management  will  be  a  valuable  asset  to  the 
state  for  they  are  considerable,  and  are  an  inherent  part  of  that  section. 
Protection  against  fires  is  needed  but  damage  of  consequence  is  limited 
to  a  few  counties  where  wild  lands  are  in  the  hands  of  absentee  land 
lords.  Many  owners  are  exercising  vigilence  in  respect  to  this  feature,  but 
a  sytem  of  state  and  national  aid  is  needed.  The  generally  prevailing  in- 
difference in  attitude  toward  the  proper  maintenance  of  the  forsets  in  this 
section  is  a  factor  which  must  be  considered  in  this  discussion.  There  are 
a  few  large  tracts  held  for  the  value  of  the  second  growth  alone.  A  con- 
siderable portion  of  southeast  Ohio  is  underlaid  by  the  coal  measures, 
and  many  of  the  furnace  tracts  are  in  the  hands  of  coal  operators.  They 
own  the  surface  along  with  the  mineral  rights  in  most  instances.  Their 
business  is  to  mine  coal  and  the  surface  to  them  is  of  consideration  only 
as  it  affects  their  mining  operations.  They  value  the  woodland  insofar  as 
it  contributes  timber  to  supply  the  needs  of  the  mines  until  they  are  worked 
out.  Beyond  that  they  have  no  immediate  interest,  for  they  are  not 
in  the  timber  business.  However  much  they  may  be  censured  for  neglecting 
their  woodlands,  there  are  obstacles  in  the  way  of  forestry  practices. 
There  are  no  markets  for  inferior  timber.  Coal  and  gas  have  practically 
driven  fire  wood  out  of  the  market.  Charcoal  production  barely  more 
than  pays  for  cutting  the  wood  and  burning  the  coal.  In  fact,  many 
tracts  are  turned  over  to  burners  to  coal  for  the  price  of  the  wood.  The 
stumpage  paid  for  pit  props  is  so  small  that  transactions  are  never  based 
on  that  product.  Tie  timber  is  virtually  the  first  product  from  second 
growth  forests  for  which  there  is  ready  sale.  Inability  to  dispose  of  the 
lower  grades  of  timber  is  a  discouraging  feature,  and  is  certainly  a 
deterrent  in  the  practice  of  forestry  by  private  owners. 

The  present  State  Forestry  Department  was  organized  by  legislative 
act  in  1906.  It  was  placed  under  jurisdiction  of  the  Board  of  Control  of 
the  Agricultural  Experiment  Station.  Broad  power  was  given  the  Board 
along  investigational  and  demonstration  lines,  but  there  was  no  provision 
for  forest  protection.  In  1914  by  special  enactment  the  Board  was  author- 
ized to  purchase  lands  for  state  forests.  The  work  of  the  Department 
has  been  substantially  along  the  following  lines. 

(1)  At  the  outset  a  preliminary  forest  survey  of  the  State  was  made 
with  the  detailed  surveys  of  certain  counties.  This  was  done  to  determine 
the  conditions,  the  needs,  and  the  lines  of  work  required. 


10 

(2)  Assistance  to  private  owners,  state,  municipal  and  private  insti- 
tutions in  the  management  of  their  woodlands  and  in  reforestation  projects. 

(3)  The  station  has  maintained  nurseries  for   the  propagation  and 
distribution  of  planting  stock   for  reforestation.     Heretofore  the  distri- 
bution of  stock  has  been  limited  largely  to  experimental  and  demonstration 
work. 

(4)  Forest  arboretums  have  been  established  on  a  number  of  public 
and  quasi  public  institutions. 

(5)  Three  municipal  forests  and  forest  parks  have  been  established 
under  the  direction  of  the  Department,  one  of  which  is  primarily  for  the 
protection  of  the  potable  water  supply. 

(6)  Two  state  forests  have  been  purchased  and  these  areas  are  used 
for  experimental  and  demonstration  purposes. 

(7)  A  survey  of  the  important  drainage  basins  made  in  1913,  follow- 
ing the  unprecedented  flood  of  that  year. 

(8)  During   the  past  five  years   more  attention  has   been   given   to 
problems  of  forest  utilization.     This  phase  in  fact  has  grown  to  one  of 
most  importance.    It  is  felt  that  the  Department  can  be  of  r*eal  help  to 
the  woodland  owner,  and  the  wood  user.    The  average  owner  has  little  con- 
ception of  timber  values,  but  has  to  proceed  in  marketing  his  products. 
He  has  great  difficulty  in  finding  markets  for  many  classes  of  timber.    In 
these  matters   we  have  been   able   to   render   assistance  of  considerable 
consequence. 

It  has  also  been  possible  to  locate  and  to  secure  for  wood  users  certain 
classes  of  timber  which  they  desire  and  to  cause  mature  or  over-mature 
timber  to  be  placed  on  the  market.  The  effect  of  such  work  on  the  whole 
as  we  view  it,  is  that  it  tends  to  create  or  to  stimulate  stagnant  markets 
for  the  various  classes  of  woodland  products.  The  time  of  two  of  our  men 
is  largely  given  to  this  work,  one  of  whom  has  had  some  years  of  practical 
experience  in  the  timber  business. 

It  was  found  at  the  outset  that  land  owners  were  seeking  information 
regarding  the  lasting  qualities  of  the  several  kinds  of  post  timbers.  The 
Department  undertook  to  investigate  this  matter  with  the  result  that 
data  were  obtained  on  some  ten  of  the  most  common  timbers.  This  work 
embraced  the  examination  of  three  hundred  fifty  fences  containing  over 
forty  thousand  posts,  the  fences  ranging  in  ages  from  four  to  fifty  years. 
These  data  brought  out  many  interesting  facts,  chief  of  which  being  that 
there  is  considerable  variation  in  the  durability  of  different  wood  of  the 
same  species,  and  that  the  relative  scale  is  based  not  upon  the  length  of 
life  of  one  or  several  posts  of  a  given  species,  but  upon  the  average  of  great 
numbers.  Data  has  been  collected  on  the  average  stands  per  acre  by 
counties  of  the  different  commercial  tree  species  of  the  State.  The  results 
of  this  work  is  now  on  press  and  it  will  give  fairly  accurate  data  to  wood 
users  and  others  on  the  amounts  and  distribution  of  the  available  com- 
mercial timber. 

(9)  Cities  have  from  time  to  time  requested  assistance  in  the  plant- 
ing and  care  of  shade  trees.     Since  they  contribute  indirectly  to  the  sup- 
port of  the  Department  it  was  felt  that  they  were  entitled  to  such  assist- 
ance.    Shade  tree  surveys  are  therefore  made  upon  request,  and  consid- 


11 

erable  interest  has  developed  in  this  respect.  The  need  of  such  work  is 
so  evident  in  the  average  city,  that  it  scarcely  merits  comment.  It  has 
resulted  indirectly  in  much  good  to  the  Department,  chiefly  in  securing 
wider  moral  and  financial  support. 

(10)  From  the  outset  it  has  been  the  conviction  that  experimentation 
and  research  was  vitally  necessary  for  the  development  of  forestry  under 
Ohio  conditions.  We  in  fact  have  assumed  the  attitude  that  such  work 
is  fundamental  in  the  working  out  of  a  stable  forest  policy  for  Ohio.  It 
is  hardly  to  be  conceived  how  best  results  can  be  obtained  without  definite 
knoweldge  of  many  facts  we  do  not  have.  We  need  to  have  these  facts 
before  we  can  answer  many  questions  now  pending,  and  it  is  to  be  regretted 
that  it  is  going  to  take  so  long  to  learn  them.  It  is  to  be  our  policy,  how- 
ever, to  understand  more  work  of  this  character  than  it  has  been  possible 
to  do  in  the  past.  (Applause) 

MR.  WOOLLEN:  The  meeting  will  now  be  addressed  by  Mr.  R.  B. 
Miller,  Forester  of  Illinois.  (Applause) 

MR.  R.  B.  MILLER :  Mr.  Chairman  and  gentlemen,  it  is  the  intention 
in  this  paper  to  discuss  very  briefly  those  forest  influences  and  problems 
in  Illinois  which  are  vital  to  a  forestry  policy,  which  are  also  common 
to  Indiana  and  Ohio  and  which  will  furnish  a  committee  from  this  con- 
ference some  definite  basis  upon  which  to  work  when  they  summarize  its 
findings. 

You  have  only  to  look  at  some  of  the  topographic  sheets  which  the 
United  States  Geological  Survey  and  the  State  Geological  Survey  are 
making  in  Illinois  to  assure  yourself  that  it  is  not  entirely  a  prairie  State. 
According  to  Professor  J.  G.  Mosier,  of  the  Soil  Survey  of  Illinois,  in 
the  sixty-two  counties  covered  by  the  survey  prior  to  1917  there  are  3,434,- 
625  acres  of  broken  and  hilly  land  which  should  be  in  timber.  Going  over 
the  remaining  forty  counties,  for  which  reports  have  not  been  finished 
and  results  compiled,  and  comparing  the  amount  of  rough  land  there  with 
adjacent  counties  surveyed,  he  believes  we  can  add  to  this  2,321,000  acres 
more,  making  a  total  for  the  state  of  about  5,750,000  acres,  almost  one- 
eixth  of  its  total  area  of  thirty-six  million  acres.  This  area,  whose  out- 
lines are  almost  identical  with  the  limits  of  the  yellow  silt  loam  soil  as 
mapped  by  soil  experts,  varies  in  the  different  counties  from  .18  to  eighty 
per  cent,  and  if  cultivated  is  subject  to  serious  and  destructive  erosion. 

What  is  being  done  to  keep  this  land  which  is  potential  forest  soil 
permanently  in  timber?  A  few  figures  from  some  of  the  members  of  the 
Illinois  Academy  of  Sciences  who  have  been  working  on  some  of  these 
counties  for  several  years  will  help  to  answer  the  question.  Dr.  Pepoon 
of  Chicago  says  that  Jo  Daviess  county,  credited  with  sixty-two  and  four- 
tenths  per  cent,  of  this  class  of  land  was  originally  a  forest  land.  Now 
there  is  only  about  five  per  cent,  of  merchantable  timber  in  solid  blocks 
used  mainly  for  posts  and  fuel,  while  about  fifteen  per  cent,  may  be 
classed  as  heavily  culled.  In  LaSalle  county,  according  to  Dr.  George  D. 
Fuller,  of  Chicago  University,  out  of  35,220  acres  examined  only  6,530 
acres,  or  two  and  three-tenths  per  cent,  of  the  area  covered  by  the  survey 
is  forested,  this  being  in  ravines  or  along  the  larger  rivers. 


12 

In  Cook  County,  according  to  Dr.  Waterman,  of  Northwestern  Uni- 
versity, Department  of  Botany,  out  of  5,760  acres  surveyed,  only  seven  hun- 
dred acres  still  bear  original  forest  growth  and  of  this  only  eighty  acres 
is  virgin  forest.  The  Cook  County  Forest  Preserve  Board,  however,  is 
doing  much  to  save  these  scattered  bits  of  native  forest  for  the  people 
of  Cook  County  as  a  recreation  ground  and  now  has  over  17,500  acres  of 
such  forest  under  its  jurisdiction. 

Forest  Influences.  Among  the  forest  influences  or  forest  reactions 
which  should  be  considered  in  Illinois  are  the  effects  of  the  removal  of 
the  forest  cover  in  causing  irregularity  of  stream  flow  due  to  the  drying  up 
of  streams  and  springs,  with  destructive  floods.  Dr.  Fernow  says  that  the 
stopping  of  floods  is  an  engineering  problem  but  that  forests  can  be  de- 
pended upon  to  render  the  flow  of  water  throughout  the  year  more  uniform. 
Illustrations  from  remote  regions  lose  their  effect  but  we  might  take  a 
specific  one  from  Jo  Daviess  County.  One  flood  in  a  stream  only  five 
miles  long  destroyed  a  stone  mill  dam  and  wrecked  the  large  flouring  mill. 
Some  fifteen  feet  of  silt  was  deposited  on  the  bed  of  the  mill  pond  after 
the  flood  had  subsided,  representing  as  Dr.  Pepoon  says,  "one  foot  of 
eroded  soil  from  four  acres  of  farm  land." 

Another  marked  result  of  deforestation  in  this  same  county  has  been 
the  drying  up  of  springs  and  brooks  and  the  lowering  of  the  water  table. 
This  is  quite  in  conformity  with  evidence  cited  by  Greve,  by  McGee,  Tourney 
and  Mead.  Where  originally  there  were  'six  minor  brooks  and  fifteen 
springs  in  a  certain  map  area,  today  none  remain  and  the  ground  water  has 
been  lowered  from  eight  to  twelve  feet  below  its  former  level.  This  is  not 
the  opinion  of  a  casual  visitor  to  the  region  but  the  observation  of  one 
who  has  studied  the  same  region  for  years. 

Erosion.  It  is  stated  on  good  authority  that  leaf  mould  will  absorb 
from  two  to  four  times  its  weight  in  water.  Due  to  this  large  absorptive 
capacity,  measurements  made  in  France  show  that  surface  run-off  from 
wooded  slopes  is  only  one-half  of  that  from  deforested  slopes.  Reduction 
of  run-off  prevents  erosion,  so  that  one  of  the  main  remedies  for  badly 
eroded  and  gullied  land,  according  to  the  Illinois  Soil  Survey,  is  "to  put 
them  back  into  forests  as  rapidly  as  possible."  Their  reports  abound 
with  instances  of  where  soil  abandonment  is  taking  place,  but  more  espe- 
cially in  the  seven  southern  counties  and  in  those  adjoining  the  Wabash, 
Mississippi  and  Illinois  rivers.  The  Illinois  Geological  Survey  speaks  of 
deforestation  as  one  of  the  agencies  in  causing  erosion,  with  the  attendant 
evils  of  gullying  and  sheet  washing. 

Let  us  take  some  specific  examples.  Dr.  Fuller  says  of  LaSalle  county, 
in  the  upper  Illinois  valley  region,  that  "along  many  of  the  stream  valleys 
are  slopes  of  such  a  character  that  the  removal  of  the  forest  cover  will 
cause,  and  in  some  cases  has  already  caused  rather  extensive  gullying." 

In  Union  county,  where  the  Dongola  topographic  sheet  is  being  prepared, 
many  fields  were  seen,  especially  in  yellow  silt  loam  soil,  where  gullies 
were  forming  and  the  owners  of  the  farms  were  making  unsuccessful 
efforts  to  stop  them  with  brush  and  straw.  According  to  the-  older  resi- 
.  dents,  these  slopes  had  years  ago  been  covered  with  a  forest  of  tulip,  white 
pak  and  *ea  Q&fc,  B§0.  P$fc  m$  sycamore  seedlings,  fUopg  with  sassafras 


13 

and  inferior  species,  can  now  be  found  getting  a  foothold  In  some  of  them, 
showing  that  with  a  little  assistance  they  might  again  become  forested.  In 
some  fields  seed  had  come  in  from  the  lower  bottomland  woods;  in  many 
cases  it  would  be  a  question  of  planting. 

Dr.  Pepoon  says  that  in  Jo  Daviess  county  cutting  away  the  forests 
has  resulted  in  erosion,  "with  all  of  its  attendant  evils."  The  Illinois 
Geological  Survey  in  dealing  with  the  Galena  and  Elizabeth  Quadrangles, 
there  says,  under  recommendations  about  erosion  that  if  light  pasturing 
and  getting  the  land  back  into  grass  are  not  sufficient  to  stop  the  wash, 
rapidly  growing  trees,  like  the  cottonwood  and  locust,  can  be  planted, 
and  the  fields  gradually  brought  back  into  timber  land.  Then  later,  by 
judicious  cutting  and  replanting,  the  land  may  be  made  to  yield  a  revenue 
from  timber,  instead  of  producing  scantier  and  scantier  crops  until  they 
become  so  small  as  to  have  no  value. 

Competent  authority  says  that  leaf-litter  should  not  be  grazed  or 
burned  over  in  order  to  have  the  maximum  effect  in  preventing  surface 
run-off,  and  this  brings  us  to  the  subjects  of  grazing  and  fire  protection. 
Suppose  we  take  first  the  question  of  grazing  and  the  problem  of  what 
may  be  called  woodland  pasture. 

Grazing  and  the  Woodland  Pasture.  Dr.  George  D.  Fuller,  of  the  Uni- 
versity of  Chicago  Department  of  Botany,  who  has  worked  two  summers 
In  LaSalle  county  and  knows  thoroughly  the  character  of  the  woods  in  that 
county,  says  that  "grazing  is  so  universally  practiced  that  not  over  5%  of 
the  oak  and  bottom  land  forests  show  reproduction  in  progress  at  the 
present  time."  From  a  strip  estimate  made  in  September  of  this  year 
in  a  100  acre  woodland  and  pasture  of  the  open  park  type,  classed  by  Dr. 
Fuller  as  an  "oak-hickory  forest,"  we  find  as  a  consequence  of  grazing  of 
cattle  and  hogs  that  there  is  less  than  one  tree  per  acre  of  the  three-inch 
diameter  class  of  any  species.  Most  of  the  trees  are  over  50  years  of  age, 
showing  that  there  is  no  future  crop  of  young  trees  coming  on.  The  trees 
are  very  short  boled,  and  while  diameter  growth  was  found  to  be  rapid  in 
these  trees  there  are  only  46  trees  per  acre  and  a  stand  of  1881  board  feet 
per  acre,  so  that  the  increment  in  volume  on  an  acre  would  be  very  small. 

In  other  forests  of  LaSalle  county,  where  for  some  reason  grazing  had 
been  lighter,  we  found  the  number  of  two  and  three  inch  trees  had  in- 
creased to  62  per  acre,  the  total  number  of  trees  standing  on  an  acre  to 
348,  and  the  stand  per  acre  to  4,625  board  feet.  While  this  disparity  was 
in  part  due  to  differences  in  site,  we  can  attribute  a  large  part  to  the  fact 
that  trees  of  the  smaller  diameter  classes  had  not  been  destroyed  by  graz- 
ing, but  had  grown  up  to  healthy,  middle-sized  trees  making  up  the  bulk 
of  the  forest  and  offering  some  chance  of  financial  profit  to  the  owner. 

In  the  ravines  of  some  of  these  pastured  forests  in  LaSalle  county, 
where  moisture  conditions  were  better,  there  were  more  trees  of  the 
smaller  diameter  classes  again  and  fermination  conditions  were  so  good 
and  acorns  so  numerous  on  the  ground  that  with  a  little  care  in  excluding 
stock  a  good  growth  of  young  trees  of  red  oak  and  other  rapidly-growing 
speces  would  have  resulted. 

Some  of  these  poorly-stocked,  struggling  white  oak  forests  on  rather 
poor  upland  forest  soils  above  Indian  Creek  hacj  in  less  tUan  7§  years  pro- 
the  following  crop  per  acre, ; 


14 

116 — 8-foot  fence  posts. 

36 — 25-foot  piling,  with  a  top  diameter  of  6  inches. 
212 — 7-foot  mine  props. 

2042 — 5-foot  mine  props. 

Counting  the  pasture  worth  from  three  to  four  dollars  per  acre,  it  is  a 
question  as  to  whether  the  land  was  not  worth  more  for  timber  growing 
than  it  will  be  for  pasture  or  farm  land  when  cut  off.  Besides,  it  will  be 
subject  to  severe  gullying  due  to  ravines  which  run  through  It,  which 
will  extend  themselves  farther  back  each  year  it  lies  as  stump  land. 

Grazing— Jo  Daviess  County.  This  county  is  situated  in  the  north- 
western part  of  the  State,  and  has  escaped  glaciation.  Speaking  of  an 
imgrazed  forest  in  Jo  Daviess  County,  which  from  the  enumeration  of  many 
rare  herbaceous  plants  must  be  a  paradise  for  the  botanist,  Dr.  Pepoon,  of 
Chicago,  says:  "A  very  striking  feature  of  this  woodland  is  the  very 
large  number  of  youjag  oak,  ash  and  hard  maple,  and  to  a  lesser  extent 
hickery,  elm,  basswood  and  ironwood  trees,  many  of  -which  have  reached 
a  height  of  6  to  8  feet,  and  are  evidently  well  started  in  a  successful 
struggle  to  reach  maturity.  This  shows  better  than  any  other  fact  the 
benefit  to  reproduction  of  keeping  out  cattle,  sheep  and  hogs.  From  this 
we  may  say  that  any  forest  land  in  this  area  will  be  able  to  perpetuate 
itself  if  properly  protected  from  grazing  animals." 

Wesley  Bradfield,  speaking  of  the  northern  Illinois  river  region,  says, 
that  the  most  important  consideration  is  that  forest  land  should  be  devoted 
solely  to  raising  trees  and  should  not  be  used  as  pasture  land.  "Forest  land 
should  have  the  advantage  of  an  unbroken  ground  cover  of  leaf  mulch, 
a  soil  which  is  not  being  constantly  trampled  by  stock  so  that  it  will 
remain  loose  and  porous  and  a  solid  stand  of  trees,  whether  of  new  seed- 
lings or  trees  which  are  nearly  mature  and  ready  to  harvest." 

Dr.  Waterman,  in  speaking  of  the  tracts  of  forest  in  Cook  county  says 
that  the  worst  things  are  picnicing  and  pasturage;  while  Dr.  Vestal, 
speaking  of  Cumberland  county,  says  pasturage  is  general  and  erosion  has 
resulted  in  many  places.  This  connection  between  pasturage  and  gullying 
of  the  land  is  mentioned  by  the  Illinois  Geological  Survey,  deforestation 
and  grazing  being  discussed  as  two  important  factors  in  erosion  of  man's 
introduction.  "The  hoofs  of  cattle  have  cut  the  sod  and  over-grazing  has 
killed  the  grass  in  places,  so  that  the  soil  has  been  laid  bare,  to  be  washed 
by  rains  and  blown  by  winds.  These  slopes  in  Fox  valley  might  have  been 
kept  in  a  more  productive  state  by  more  restricted  grazing,  or  by  letting 
them  remain  in  timber." 

Forest  Taxation.  Prof.  Chapman  will  discuss  the  modern  methods  of 
taxation  as  applied  to  timberlands,  so  it  is  only  necessary  to  mention 
the  known  facts  about  taxation  of  timber  land  in  Illinois.  From  personal 
interviews  with  owners  one  learns  that  they  are  not  cutting  off  the  timber 
because  taxation  is  excessive  but  through  a  desire  to  benefit  the  pasture, 
combined  with  ignorance  of  the  true  stumpage  value  of  the  timber  and 
the  desire  to  get  rid  of  it  quickly  and  easily.  This  they  do  by  selling  it 
for  a  lump  sum  to  contractors  dealing  in  mine  props,  posts  and  piling, 
who  have  no  interest  in  the  tract  other  than  financial  profit.  This  is  largely 
a  matter  for  education  of  the  public  after  it  has  been  found  out  what  the 


15 

relative  returns  are  from  timber  and  farm  crops  on  the  same  type  of  soil, 
taking  into  consideration  the  expense  for  getting  each  crop,  at  compound 
interest. 

The  main  changes  to  be  made  would  seem  to  be  the  adoption  of  more 
uniform  methods  of  valuation  for  timber  land  by  the  county  assessors. 
According  to  Wesley  Bradfield,  who  investigated  the  methods  of  taxation 
in  about  15  counties  of  the  State  in  1908,  these  methods  very  greatly 
among  the  following:  Taking  the  value  of  the  land  for  cultivation  when 
cleared ;  assessing  a  certain  per  cent,  of  the  value  of  timber  on  the  land ; 
taking  the  value  of  timber  land  as  unimproved  land  only;  value  with 
reference  to  its  location  to  easily  accessible  markets;  the  value  of  the 
land  when  used  for  pasture ;  and  often  simply  an  arbitrary  determination 
of  the  fair  cash  value  of  the  property  by  the  assessor. 

There  is  a  provision  for  a  bounty  to  be  offered  by  the  Board  of  County 
Commissioners  to  any  person  who  shall  plant  one  or  more  acres  of  land 
with  forest  trees  and  properly  cultviate  the  same  for  three  years.  This 
bounty  amounts  to  $10.00  per  acre  per  annum  for  three  years  for  each 
acre  planted,  trees  not  being  spaced  a  greater  distance  than  ten  feet 
apart  each  way.  Judging  from  the  effect  of  bounty  laws  in  other  States, 
this  law  has  had  little  effect  in  stimulating  general  planting. 

Fire  Protection.  So  far  as  we  have  ascertained,  there  are  no  state 
organizations  for  the  protection  of  timber  from  fire  in  Illinois,  except 
such  as  may  come  under  the  jurisdiction  of  county  forest  preserve  boards. 
Fortunately,  most  of  the  timber  is  in  small  tracts,  usually  completely 
surrounded  by  roads,  which  greatly  decreases  the  fire  hazard. 

According  to  data  compiled  from  reports  sent  in  to  Dr.  Forbes  in  1915 
by  the  several  county  crop  reporters,  some  counties  had  no  fires  and  those 
reported  were  most  commonly  caused  by  railroads,  brush  burning  and 
campers.  In  Perry  county  it  was  mentioned  that  fall  and  early  winter 
fires  were  started  by  coon  hunters  and  in  Union  county  we  were  told  that 
it  was  a  common  occurrence  in  some  parts  for  these  men  to  burn  over 
the  woods  at  night  to  make  travel  through  the  woods  easier  for  dogs. 
There  have  been  a  few  cases  of  incendiarism  reported  but  this  is  punish- 
able under  Section  18  of  the  Criminal  Code  with  a  fine  of  from  $5.00  to 
$100.00  for  wilfully  starting  brush  or  grass  fires. 

Railroads  are  made  responsible  for  fires  started  by  their  engines  and 
there  is  a  law  requiring  them  to  keep  their  rights  of  way  clear  of  weeds, 
grass  and  inflammable  material. 

Summarizing,  we  have  shown  that  almost  six  million  acres  of  land  in 
Illinois,  on  account  of  topography  and  soil,  are  better  fitted  for  growing 
timber  than  for  any  other  purpose ;  that  our  stands  of  virgin  timber  are  dis- 
appearing rapidly  through  cutting  or  are  being  replaced  by  those  of  poor 
growth  capacity  through  grazing  and  occasional  fires;  that  this  removal 
of  the  forests,  as  evidenced  by  reliable  investigators  in  several  counties 
and  as  shown  by  the  reports  of  the  Illinois  Soil  Survey  and  Illinois  Geolog- 
ical Survey,  is  bringing  about  the  usual  results — disastrous  floods,  the 
drying  up  of  springs  and  brooks  and  the  lowering  of  the  level  of  the  ground 
water ;  that  by  the  gullying  of  the  lighter  soils  due  to  the  removal  of  the 
forest  cover  by  unwise  cutting  and  the  pasturing  of  stock,  much  land  is 


16 

being  rendered  unfit  for  agriculture  and  offers  a  chance  for  reforestation ; 
and  that  minor  changes  may  be  necessary  in  methods  of  valuation  of  tim- 
berlands  and  in  fire  protection. 

The  question  remains,  then,  as  to  what  steps  the  State  should  take,  in 
the  interests  of  her  citizens,  not  only  to  assume  her  share  of  responsibility 
in  the  national  program  for  increasing  the  available  timber  supply  of  the 
country  but  to  safeguard  those  remnants  of  the  original  forest  which  not 
only  contributed  largely  to  the  development  of  the  State  and  her  industries, 
but  by  whose  destruction  the  balance  of  Nature's  forces  have  been  seriously 
disturbed. 

Just  as  we  will  owe  this  conference  a  debt  of  gratitude  for  presenting 
these  facts  to  the  public  in  a  new  light,  so  we  look  to  it  for  valuable 
assistance  in  working  out  a  solution  of  this  vital  economic  question. 
(Applause) 

MR.  WOOLLEN:  I  now  introduce  the  forester  of  Indiana,  Mr.  Charles 
C.  Deam.  (Applause) 

MR.  CHARLES  C.  DEAM:  Mr.  Chairman,  ladies  and  gentlemen,  the 
subject  of  my  paper  is  "Forest  Conditions  in  Indiana." 

The  area  of  Indiana  is  22,403,502  acres.  Practically  the  whole  of  the 
State  was  formerly  covered  with  one  of  the  best  hardwood  forests  of  the 
world.  The  wooded  area  has  steadily  decreased  since  active  settlement 
began  about  one  hundred  years  ago.  In  1880  the  forest  area  has  dwindled 
down  to  4,355,191  acres  of  first-class  timberland.  In  1917  the  timberland 
area  of  Indiana  is  given  as  1,664,047  acres,  or  about  seven  per  cent,  of  the 
whole  area.  Virgin  forests  have  become  so  scarce  that  only  a  few  isolated 
tracts  remain.  Turkey  Run  State  Park,  the  largest  of  these,  containing 
less  than  three  hundred  acres,  was  recently  purchased  by  some  patriotic 
citizens,  and  turned  over  to  the  State  as  a  relic  of  the  grandeur  and 
wealth  of  Indiana's  primeval  forests. 

In  1910  statistics  rank  Indiana  third  in  the  amount  and  value  of  its 
improved  land,  exceeded  only  by  Iowa  and  Illinois.  These  statistics  show 
that  Indiana  is  essentially  an  agricultural  State,  and  that  it  will  always 
remain  so,  is  implied  by  its  geographical  location.  The  geographical  situa- 
tion of  Indiana  favors  agriculture,  including  both  grazing  and  horticulture. 
It  is  traversed  by  trunk  line  railroads  in  all  directions  with  nearby  term- 
inals such  as  Chicago,  with  an  estimated  population  of  over  three  millions ; 
Milwaukee  with  504,707;  Detroit  and  Cleveland  with  936,000  each  and 
Cincinnati  with  472,668.  Indiana  is  the  nearest  source  of  supply  to  the 
cities  enumerated,  for  certain  agricultural  and  horticultural  products. 
It  also  serves  many  smaller  cities  such  as  Louisville  and  others  that 
could  be  named. 

The  surface  of  the  greater  part  of  Indiana  is  level  and  is  contained 
in  the  glaciated  region.  This  area  has  great  'agricultural  possibilities, 
about  ninety-five  per  cent,  of  it  being  already  wTell  improved.  It  is 
predicted  that  the  forests  of  this  area  will  gradually  disappear  and  that 
the  only  forest  tree  growth  will  be  in  the  form  of  windbreaks.  There  are, 
however,  about  twenty-three  counties  in  the  southern  part  of  the  State 
that  have  a  rough  topography.  This  area  is  a  series  of  hills  and  fertile 
valleys  of  varying  width  and  length.  The  hills  vary  in  height  from  one 


17 

hundred  to  two  hundred  feet.  The  slopes  also  vary  from  gentle  to  precip- 
itous. The  greater  part  of  the  slopes  are  gentle  to  steep.  The  soil  of  the 
greater  part  of  the  area  is  limestone  and  will  support  a  good  stand  of 
blue  grass.  Parts  of  about  ten  counties  have  a  residual  soil  composed  of 
decomposed  sandstone,  knobstone  or  knobstone  shale  which  will  not 
support  a  good  stand  of  blue  grass,  and  which  are  regarded  as  our 
poorest  agricultural  and  forestal  lands.  This  hill  area  may  be*  roughly 
divided  into  forestal  and  agricultural  lands.  There  is,  however,  a  wide 
divergance  of  opinion  as  to  the  definition  of  each  in  Indiana.  The  for- 
ester tells  us  that  all  lands  that  will  not  support  a  permanent  and  profitable 
agriculture  should  be  classed  as  forest  land.  He  calls  attention  to  areas 
that  have  already  been  cleared  and  farmed  successfully  for  a  few  years, 
but  having  become  washed  and  eroded,  have  been  abandoned.  He  says : 
"Such  lands  should  not  have  been  cleared."  The  Agricultural  Experimental 
Station  expert  tells  us  that  the  washing  and  erosion  is  the  result  of  poor 
farming,  and  that  practically  any  slope  in  Indiana  might  be  cleared  and 
farmed  or  grazed  successfully.  The  land  owner  will  tell  you  he  can 
clear  a  rugged  slope  and  grow  tobacco  on  it  a  year  or  two  and  receive 
an  income  from  five  to  one  hundred  times  the  value  of  the  land,  but  he 
fails  to  tell  you  that  after  a  few  years  the  soil  on  their  farmed  slopes  will 
be  washed  away.  We  should,  therefore,  not  be  surprised  to  find  thou: 
sands  of  acres  of  hill  land  that  have  been  farmed  for  a  year  or  two  and 
then  abandoned,  or  left  to  "go  to  pasture  or  grow  up"  to  use  the  vernacular 
of  the  hill  country. 

Today  there  are  thousands  of  acres  of  cleared  land  in  the  southern 
part  of  the  State  which  are  not  now  farmed  because  they  have  washed 
or  eroded  so  that  they  cannot  be  farmed  or  are  too  unprofitable  to  be 
farmed.  They  are  growing  up  in  poverty  grass,  weeds,  briars,  sassafras, 
persimmon,  etc.  These  washed  areas  usually  occur  in  small  tracts  of  a  few 
acres  in  extent.  Yet  the  agricultural  expert  tells  us  all  of  these  areas 
can  be  redeemed  and  be  made  profitable  for  agriculture  and  grazing. 

Is  this  hill  country  forestal  or  agricultural  lands?  Let  us  consult 
statistics  and  also  note  the  activities  of  the  present  population.  In  1915 
ninety-two  per  cent,  of  Indiana  was  listed  as  farm  land.  Of  twenty  of 
the  hilliest  counties  of  the  State,  eleven  reported  more  than  ninety-two 
per  cent,  of  their  county  as  farm  land.  In  1917  the  average  sized  farm  in 
Indiana  was  one  hundred  three  acres,  yet  in  eleven  of  the  roughest  counties 
of  the  State,  the  average  farm  contained  only  ninety-six  acres.  The 
average  rural  population  in  Indiana  in  1916  was  forty-three  per  square 
mile.  Yet  Crawford,  Orange  and  Perry  counties  which  are  regarded  as 
among  the  roughest  counties  of  the  State  had  an  average  of  forty.  The 
average  forty-three  for  the  State  represents  an  inflated  figure,  since  the 
large  rural  coal  mine  and  suburban  populations  are  included  in  the  State 
average.  It  is  reasonable  to  believe  that  agriculture  today  in  the  counties 
just  named  is  supporting  as  large  and  contented  a  population  as  the 
average  county. 

It  is  a  fact  that  the  forests  are  disappearing""  most  rapidly  in  the 
hilliest  counties.  Why  is  this?  The  following  may  be  offered  in  answer. 
The  land  owner  has  no  notion  of  the  annual  increment  value  of  an  acre  of 


18 

forest  land.  The  writer  has  asked  scores  of  land  owners  at  what  they  esti- 
mated the  value  of  the  growth  of  an  acre  of  woodland,  and  not  one  has 
had  the  knowledge  or  even  the  courage  to  venture  an  answer.  He  does 
not  know  the  potential  value  of  a  forest,  but  he  does  know  that  a  forest 
crop  is  a  long  time  investment,  and  that  his  economic  conditions  demand  an 
investment  of  short  duration.  The  hilly  or  forestal  land  of  Indiana  is 
surrounded  by  abundant  coal  fields,  and  the  slash  of  a  forest  crop  has 
little  or  no  commercial  value.  In  most  instances  after  all  of  the  mer- 
chantable timber  has  been  removed,  the  slash  would  not  pay  for  clearing 
of  the  land.  Coal  can  be  bought  for  what  it  costs  to  cut  wood  and  many 
farmers  who  have  wood  rotting  in  their  forest,  take  produce  to  market 
and  return  with  a  load  of  coal.  The  time  required  to  cut  wood  can  be 
spent  at  more  remunerative  employment  or  the  bitter  winter  days  of  wood 
cutting  can  be  turned  into  a  rabbit  hunt.  In  the  hilly  counties  there  is  no 
outlet  for  surplus  labor  such  as  in  the  northern  counties.  In  the  north, 
witness  each  morning  the  thousands  of  laborers,  especially  girls,  on 
the  interurban  cars  going  to  the  cities  to  work.  As  a  consequence  the 
farmer  of  the  hill  country  is  compelled  to  use  the  surplus  man-power  on 
his  farm,  which  in  the  aggregate  is  eight  per  cent,  smaller  than  the  farm  of 
the  north.  To  do  this,  he  sets  to  clearing  more  land,  and  grows  tobacco, 
which  requires  about  ten  times  more  man-power  to  grow  than  corn.  Or, 
he  will  grow  tomatoes,  strawberries  or  other  bush  fruits  or  vegetables.  As 
an  example  of  this  form  of  intensive  agriculture  may  be  cited  the  growing 
of  strawberries  on  the  "knobs"  in  the  vicinity  of  Borden  where  as  high 
as  five  car  loads  have  been  shipped  in  one  day.  The  greatest  inroad  on  our 
forest  area  has  been  made  by  the  recent  development  of  the  dairy  business. 
The  introduction  and  wide  use  of  the  silo ;  our  recent  knowledge  of  certain 
forage  plants,  such  as  alfalfa ;  and  our  greater  facilities  for  marketing 
milk  and  cream,  such  as  improved  roads,  auto  trucks,  etc.,  have  been 
extremely  favorable  to  the  development  of  the  dairy  business.  The  high 
price  of  food  products  has  advanced  the  price  of  butter  fat  to  the  point 
where  the  hill  farmer  wiU  tell  you  that  the  income  from  his  cows  is  equal 
to  that  of  his  farm.  In  order  to  get  more  grazing  land,  every  available 
nook  and  corner  and  forest  land  is  taken,  and  the  remaining  forest  land 
is  being  fenced.  It  is  now  rare  to  see  open  forest  land,  or  a  fenced  forest 
that  is  not  pastured.  It  is  a  well  known  fact  that  pasturage  will  stop 
all  reproduction  in  a  hardwood  forest,  and  if  there  is  not  a  change  in  the 
management  of  the  forest  area  in  the  hill  country,  there  will  be  no  forests 
after  the  maturity  of  the  present  crop. 

The  fire  hazard  in  Indiana  is  not  a  serious  barrier  to  maintaining  our 
forest  area.  Forests  are  usually  open,  small  and  separated  by  numerous 
public  roads.  In  any  event  fire  would  not  burn  over  any  great  area  if 
any  organized  effort  was  made  to  stop  it.  As  a  rule,  owners  do  not  care 
if  their  forests  are  burned  over,  in  fact  many  burn  their  forests  over 
each  year  to  keep  reproduction  down,  and  to  burn  up  the  leaves  so  the 
grass  will  get  a  start.  When  a  fire  is  started  in  a  forest  there  is  little 
effort  made  to  stop  it  except  when  it  threatens  a  fence,  haystack  or  build- 
ings. 

Our  present  tax  system  is  an  important  factor  in  encouraging  land 


19 

owners  to  clear  land.  There  is  a  widespread  belief  that  forests  should 
be  exempt  from  taxation,  basing  the  claim  on  the  communal  benefit  of  the 
forest. 

To  summarize : 

Indiana  is  essentially  an  agricultural  State. 

It  is  divided  into  small  farms,  averaging  one  hundred  three  acres,  all 
of  which  are  in  the  hands  of  private  ownership. 

An  average  of  ninety-two  per  cent,  of  all  these  farms  is  improved, 
leaving  less  than  ninety-one  acres  of  forest  land  to  each  farm. 

The  economic  conditions  confronting  the  owners;  the  high  price  of 
farm  products  and  nearness  to  the  markets  which  make  farm  land  worth 
more  than  forest  land ;  and  the  ignorance  of  the  owner  of  forest  manage- 
ment, combine  to  cause  the  neglect  of  the  practice  of  forestry  in  Indiana. 

I  have  interviewed  many  land  owners  and  all  agree  that  something 
should  be  done  to  provide  a  future  supply  of  timber  for  Indiana.  They 
claim  that  they  cannot  afford  to  practice  forestry  on  their  small  hold- 
ings under  the  present  economic  conditions,  and  that  the  State  should 
own  the  forest  land. 

Since  the  condition  of  the  public  mind  is  in  favor  of  State  owned  forests, 
I  would  recommend  that  the  State  at  once  purchase  a  sufficient  area  to 
provide  for  the  future  supply  of  timber,  and  that  the  same  be  paid  for  by 
a  bond  issue  to  mature  in  from  fifty  to  one  hundred  years.  (Applause) 

Some  announcements  were  made  by  the  Secretary. 

ADJOURNMENT. 

WEDNESDAY  AFTERNOON   SESSION. 

The  meeting  was  called  to  order  at  2  :00  p.  m.,  with  Dr.  F.  W.  Shepard- 
son  presiding. 

THE  CHAIRMAN:  The  convention  will  please  come  to  order.  The 
gentleman  who  presided  this  morning  has  been  obliged  to  fill  another 
engagement  and  the  committee  in  charge  has  asked  me  to  assume  the  chair 
this  afternoon.  I  am  going  to  ask  Mr.  Sauers  to  read  us  a  letter  that  he 
received  from  Mr.  B.  A.  Johnson. 

MR.  CHARLES  G.  SAUERS:     (Reading  letter) 

"When  Charles  G.  Sauers,  writing  for  Richard  Lieber,  Director  of 
Conservation  of  the  State  of  Indiana,  addressed  me  a  letter  on  September 
28th,  he  expressed  himself  in  the  last  paragraph  of  his  communication  in 
a  heartfelt  and  direct  manner  which  has  led  me  to  believe  that  he  meant 
it,  and  which  furnished  me  a  text  for  the  shortest  possible  communication 
that  I  can  write  you  on  this  subject. 

"Mr.  Sauers  said:  'Will  you  address  this  conference  upon  the  subject 
of  Co-operation  Between  the  Lumberman  and  the  Forester?'  We  realize 
that  it  is  possibly  a  rather  delicate  subject  but  know  that  you  have  the 
situation  well  in  mind  and  believe  that  you  can  handle  it  to  the  best 
advantage.  Will  you  make  this  address  and  will  you  also  arrange  your 
plans  to  be  at  the  conference  throughout  the  two  days?  Questions  will 
be  constantly  coming  up  which  you  will  be  best  able  to  answer  and  your 
presence  will  be  of  great  aid.  We  cannot  take  no  for  an  answer  because 
you  are  needed.' 


20 

"I  do  not  consider  that  this  matter  of  a  discussion  of  the  relations 
between  the  lumberman  and  the  forester  is  a  delicate  subject  I  am 
much  of  the  opinion  that  there  has  been  altogether  too  much  diplomacy 
and  preservation  of  ethics,  and  altogether  too  much  of  an  endeavor  upon 
the  part  of  both  sides  of  this  discussion  to  handle  the  subject  with  wool 
lined  and  heavy  gloves — rather  than  going  at  the  matter  with  hammer  and 
saw  and  ax. 

"We  have  all  hedged  about  this  affair  with  an  altogether  too  nice,  and 
lady-like  an  attitude  to  get  very  far  with  such  a  subject. 

"The  forester,. being  a  man  of  the  schools  cleverly  and  fully  educated, 
desiring  more  to  see  his  formulas  worked  out  and  his  ethics  paramount 
than  could  be  described  by  'money  in  the  till'  as  measuring  the  result 
of  work  well  done,  being  a  man  of  a  profession  which  never  contemplated 
the  amassing  of  money  as  denoting  success  in  life,  has  failed  to  recognize 
the  very  opposite  attributes  of  the  lumberman.  Of  course  this  is  not  true 
of  all  foresters  and  neither  does  it  matter  whether  it  is  true  or  not,  provid- 
ing the  forester  has  deported  himself  in  such  a  surface  way  as  to  carry 
a  conviction  of  this  attitude  to  the  mind  of  the  lumberman. 

"I  maintain  that  this  is  the  basic  cause  for  the  lumberman's  opposition 
to  the  forester,  whether  the  forester  has  been  able  to  see  the  condition  or 
not.  The  forester  is  highly  specialized  in  his  grasp  of  forestry  and  all  it 
means  to  him,  but  he  is  not  highly  specialized  and  has  a  very  extremely 
marked  lack  of  information  as  to  the  effect  his  attitude  naturally  must 
have  upon  the  lumberman. 

"This  statement  of  mine  is  carefully  thought  out  and  deliberately  made 
with  no  desire  to  be  'delicate'  and  with  only  a  desire  to  'know  the  truth' 
because  the  Bible  says  'the  truth  shall  set  ye  free' ;  and  the  query  I  want  to 
make  is,  'do  we  not  wish  above  all  things,  freedom?' 

"In  any  reference  I  make  to  lumbermen  and  their  attitude  toward  for- 
esters, I  do  not  refer  to  lumbermen  as  a  class,  but  to  the  majority  of 
lumbermrn,  to  the  very  large  and  overwhelming  majority  of  lumbermen, 
for  there  are  many  lumbermen,  of  course,  who  have  butted  their  way 
through  "ootball  wedges  and  conscientiously  worked  their  way  through 
university  courses,  whether  approaching  them  from  the  necessity  of 
doing  janitor  work  to  pay  for  their  matriculation  or  from  the  'Gold 
Coast'  of  some  opulent  eastern  university,  riding  to  their  class  rooms  in 
foreign-born  runabouts. 

"Now  the  majority  of  lumbermen  do  not  lumber  out  of  books,  and  have 
a  clean  cut  inherited  opinion  of  the  rights  of  property  as  set  down  in 
the  constitution  of  the  United  States.  His  trees  belong  to  him  to  have 
and  to  hold  and  to  cut  as  he  pleases.  While  it  is  altogether  probable  that 
the  great  public  has  something  to  say  about  all  this  thing  of  'a  national 
timberland  policy  for  the  United  States'  the  majority  of  lumbermen  have 
not  considered  the  great  public  as  having  anything  to  do  with  their  busi- 
ness any  more  than  they  have  an  interest  in  the  great  public's  business 
and  very  naturally,  resent  anybody  telling  them  what  they  shall  do  with 
their  trees  quite  as  much  as  any  man  would  resent  public  interference  with 
the  amount  of  money  he  should  use  for  his  personal  pleasure  or  what 
style  of  car  he  should  drive  or  where  he  should  bank  his  money  or 
type  of  woman  fce  sboujd  choose  for  Ws  wife.. 


21 

"Up  to  within  a  very  few  years,  and  even  up  to  within  a  very  few 
months,  the  majority  of  the  lumbermen  of  the  land  have  not  known  or 
cared  much  or  believed  much  concerning  the  possible  will  of  the  people, 
as  discussed  in  soviet  and  Bolshevik  proganda,  either  academically  or 
in  fact. 

"The  great  majority  of  lumbermen  have  not  very  seriously  considered 
that  the  base  of  their  property  is  something  emanating  from  the  public 
domain  and  that  theirs  is  a  so-called  'wasting  industry.' 

"The  majority  of  the  lumbermen  of  the  United  States  realize  that  they 
are  misunderstood  and  brow  beaten  by  the  public  press,  by  bureaucratic 
Washington,  by  government  and  by  public  opinion,  and  they  resent  it 
and  they  have  never  yet  been  able  to  organize  a  machine  to  fight  it  and 
they  never  will. 

"I  could  name  one  hundred  fifty  lumbermen,  giving  their  initials  and 
home  addresses,  without  misspelling  a  name  or  giving  a  wrong  location 
where  those  lumbermen  might  be  found  ordinarily,  which  list  when  it 
had  been  compiled,  would  contain  the  names  and  addresses  of  practically 
all  of  the  high  class  lumbermen  in  the  United  States  who  had  ever 
made  a  call  of  courtesy  or  one  of  business  in  a  voluntary  way  on  the 
Forest  Service  in  Washington,  or  who  had  any  knowledge  or  any  care 
for  the  wonderful  institution  that  the  Forest  Service  is,  as  it  is  now 
housed  and  now  functions  in  the  Atlantic  Building  in  our  national  Capitol. 

"Lumbermen  generally,  that  is  the  majority  of  lumbermen,  know  a 
great  deal  more  about  the  Forest  Products  Laboratory  at  Madison  than 
they  do  about  the  Forest  Service  at  Washington,  but  they  have  no  real 
patience  with  scientific  affairs  as  a  whole.  They  are  not  interested  in 
effciency  diagram,  or  especially  in  statistics,  but  are  deeply  and  partic- 
ularly interested  in  the  advancement  in  public  favor  of  the  particular 
wood  which  is  in  the  till  at  the  end  of  the  year. 

"This  attitude  does  not  under  any  circumstances  establish  the  fact 
that  the  lumberman  is  ignorant,  far  from  it.  He  is  like  Barney  Fagan's 
'high  born  lady' — born  that  way. 

"Yes,  I  know  the  above  statement  needs  explanation  for  it  is  a  state- 
ment and  not  an  argument,  a  statement  of  facts,  a  hurdle  set  up  in  your 
way,  all  ye  organizers  wherever  ye  are  dispersed. 

"God  never  made  any  two  trees  alike  and  he  made  many  species  of 
trees — all  the  varieties  of  fir  and  hemlock,  pine  and  hardwoods,  each  with 
its  special  attribute  and  never  any  common  denominator  of  value,  but 
the  false  and  fiated  denominator  of  the  'so  much  per  thousand  feet'; 
and  there  never  was  any  one  thousand  foot  pile  of  lumber  which  h^d 
the  same  exact  value  of  any  other  one  thousand  foot  pile  of  lumber,  even 
if  it  all  came  out  of  the  same  tree  and  same  log  and  all  was  cut  to  one 
particular  dimension;  and  therein  are  the  differences  that  beset  any  man 
who  endeavors  to  make  the  lumbermen  of  the  United  States  all  of  a  sim- 
ilar opinion  upon  any  subject. 

"Manufacturing  methods  differ  in  great  measure  with  each  species  of 
wood  manufactured  and  one  locality  with  another.  For  this  reason  there 
is  no  nationally  or  internationally  known  unit  of  value  in  lumber. 

"A  pig  Of  iron  is  a  pig  of  iron  at  Gary,  at  Hongkong,,  on  the  Thames 


22 

embankment,  or  in  the  Gogebic  range.  A  bushel  of  wheat,  with  but  little 
difference  in  grade,  is  comparable  with  all  other  bushels  of  wheat,  whether 
situated  in  North  Dakota  or  by  the  edge  of  the  Black  Sea,  but  one  thousand 
feet  of  lumber  is  not  like  any  other  one  thousand  feet  of  lumber  that 
ever  has  been  or  will  be,  when  it  comes  to  giving  it  a  value,  and  therein 
is  the  reason  why  there  are  so  many  manufacturers'  associations  in  the 
lumber  trade,  and  why  those  manufacturers'  associations  have  up  to  date 
paid  vastly  more  attention  to  making  the  lumber  consuming  world  con- 
scious of  the  fact  that  their  lumber  is  better  than  any  other  lumber, 
and  have  paid  so  little  attention  to  what  any  government  bureau  or  any 
scientific  man  in  the  bureau,  or  out  of  it,  may  consider  to  be  the  proper 
treatment  of  his  raw  product,  whether  it  be  in  the  pile  or  in  the  forest. 

"The  analytical  forest  service  man  and  independent  forester  and 
scientific  lumberman  will  get  a  fundamental  truth  out  of  these  words 
without  boiling  them  even  to  a  fever  heat,  or  into  an  epigram,  and  yet 
this  is  not  pessimism,  this  is  only  the  truth,  and  I  wish  you  would  all 
try  and  make  the  most  of  it.  For,  along  the  lines  of  truth  are  the 
gateways  to  co-operation,  co-ordination,  solidarity,  and  upon  no  other 
basis  can  you  figure  out  a  practical  national  lumber  policy  for  the 
United  States,  and  you  never  will  figure  out  such  a  policy  until  you 
learn  to  jump  all  these  hurdles  without  tripping. 

"How  will  you  do  this  thing?  Keep  your  associations  of  all  lumber- 
men, of  all  classes,  going  at  even  speed  ahead.  Try  and  believe  that  you 
are  all  in  the  same  boat,  under  orders  for  the  same  port,  and  don't  rock  it. 
Keep  up  an  everlasting  discussion  of  this  subject  and  bring  constructive 
suggestions  to  the  forum  of  the  Lumber  World  Review  or  to  any  other 
forum,  where  free  speech  and  honest  thought  is  tolerated  'in  this  land  of 
the  free  and  home  of  the  brave'  and  remember  that  the  student  who  lives 
in  an  apartment  and  likes  it  has  as  much  right  to  an  opinion  as  the  man 
who  has  several  million  dollars  in  the  bank ;  and  probably,  sometimes,  you 
will  reach  a  conclusion,  but  it  will  not  any  of  it  be  done  that  will  be 
worth  while  unless  the  rights  of  all  concerned  are  considered. 

"BOLLING  ARTHUR  JOHNSON, 

"Editor  and  Publisher, 
"Lumber  World  Review." 

The  Chairman  appointed  the  following  as  the  Resolutions  Committee: 

Richard  Lieber,  Chairman,  Indianapolis 
•   E.  M.  Stotlar,  Illinois 

Findlay  Torrence,  Ohio 
'  Dr.  F.  W.  Shepardson,  Illinois 

W.  A.  Snyder,  Ohio 

J.  G.  Peters,  Washington 

C.  H.  Kramer,  Indiana 

P.  S.  Ridsale,  Washington 

THE  CHAIRMAN:  This  morning  our  thoughts  were  turned  toward 
the  forest  situation  in  these  three  states.  You  must  have  noted  with  a 


23 

marked  degree  of  interest  as  each  man  presented  a  paper  looking  at  the 
situation  from  a  different  angle  and  each  gave  us  something  well  worth 
our  consideration  and  careful  thought. 

This  afternoon  we  are  to  turn  away  for  a  while  from  state  lines  to 
consider  the  subject  from  a  national  point  of  view.  Our  general  subject  is 
"National  Forestry  Policy".  The  first  speaker  is  known  the  country  over 
because  of  his  work  in  the  field.  I  want  to  introduce  to  you  Lieutenant- 
Colonel  Henry  S.  Graves,  Forester  of  the  United  States,  who  will  talk 
upon  the  forestry  situation.  (Applause) 

LT.-COL.  HENRY  S.  GRAVES:  Ladies  and  gentlemen,  the  forest 
situation  is  of  peculiar  interest  to  Indiana,  Illinois,  and  Ohio.  All  three 
states  have  a  pressing  problem  in  the  production  of  home  grown  forests. 
They  are  also  vitally  concerned  in  the  forest  situation  in  other  parts  of 
the  country,  for  they  are  large  consumers  of  lumber  and  other  wood  prod- 
ucts and  already  the  greater  part  of  what  they  use  is  brought  in  from 
other  states. 

At  this  time  public  attention  is  focused  on  the  forest  question  as  never 
before.  This  is  due  partly  to  the  lessons  of  the  war,  which  have  empha- 
sizd  the  national  importance  of  all  of  our  natural  resources;  it  is  due 
also  to  the  very  high  prices  of  lumber  and  of  articles  manufactured  from 
wood,  to  difficulties  in  obtaining  certain  raw  products  in  adequate  quan- 
tities, and  to  local  consequences  of  forest  destruction  that  are  making 
themselves  felt  in  an  increasing  degree. 

This  conference  is  very  significant,  for  it  represents,  to  my  mind,  an 
inquiry  on  the  part  of  the  public  as  to  how  our  forests  are  being 
handled — whether  they  are  being  safeguarded  and  perpetuated,  and  if 
not,  what  constructive  plans  are  in  contemplation  to  meet  the  situation. 

The  Service  of  Forest.  Forests  render  an  indispensable  service  in  three 
ways : 

(a)  In  the  production  of  materials  for  construction  and  for  the  man- 
ufacture of  a  multitude  of  articles  essential  in  the  industries  and  in  our 
every-day  life. 

(b)  In  the  utilization  of  land   that  would  otherwise  be  idle,  thus 
making  possible   the   maintenance  of  local  industries   and   the  building 
up  of  communities. 

(c)  In  the  protection  of  mountain  slopes,  the  conservation  of  sources 
of  water,  and  the  provision  of  other  general  public  benefits. 

The  central  states  are  interested  in  forests  and  forestry  in  all  three  of 
these  aspects.  In  some  ways  the  problems  of  forestry  are  more  pressing 
in  this  region  than  in  some  other  sections,  and  if  the  citizens  of  these 
states  wish  their  various  industrial  needs  to  be  met,  it  is  essential  that  they 
interest  themselves  in  our  forest  problems  in  both  their  local  and  national 
phases. 

Conditions  in  the  Central  States.  Illinois,  Indiana,  and  Ohio,  together 
with  the  neighboring  portions  of  Michigan  and  Wisconsin,  constitute 
the  most  important  center  of  wood  manufacturing  industries  in  the 
country,  that  is  the  industries  making  vehicles,  furniture,  railway  cars, 
tools,  planing-mill  products,  and  the  like.  About  one-third  of  the  total 
capital  invested  and  about  one-third  of  the  wage  earners  in  the  wood- 


24 

manufacturing  industries  of  the  country  are  in  this  section.  And  the 
lumber  consumed  amounts  to  five  and  one-half  billion  feet  a  year,  or  about 
a  quarter  of  the  aggregate  used  in  this  country  for  such  enterprises. 

Of  the  approximately  three  and  one-third  billion  feet  of  material  that 
goes  into  the  wood-using  manufactures  of  Illinois,  Indiana  and  Ohio 
alone,  nearly  one  and  one-half  billion  feet  are  in  the  form  of  hardwoods 
native  to  and  formerly  abundant  in  these  states.  In  fact,  it  was  the 
large  supply  of  superior  oak,  hickory,  maple,  ash,  yellow  poplar,  and 
walnut  that  led  to  the  establishment  of  many  of  the  wood  manufactures 
in  the  early  days. 

Twenty  years  ago  Indiana  led  all  the  states  in  the  quantity  of  hard- 
wood lumber  cut.  At  that  time  the  state  produced  more  lumber  than 
it  used.  Since  then  the  forests  have  been  rapidly  cut  away  to  supply 
the  industries  and  to  make  way  for  agriculture,  so  that  the  annual  cut  is 
now  only  about  a  quarter  of  what  it  was  then. 

About  half  of  the  wood  material  now  used  by  the  Indiana  industries 
comes  from  species  native  to  the  State,  but  about  two-thirds  of  this 
hardwood  material  is  imported  from  other  states.  As  long  ago  as  1911 
only  about  twenty  per  cent  of  the  walnut  used  in  Indiana  came  from  its 
own  forests,  about  a  quarter  of  the  yellow  poplar  and  hickory,  a  third  of 
the  basswood,  forty  per  cent  of  the  hard  maple  and  forty-three  per  cent 
of  the  oak.  The  showing  today  would  be  still  more  unfavorable. 

In  Illinois  the  wood-using  industries  use  about  one  and  three-fourths 
billion  feet  of  lumber,  of  which  about  one-third  is  hardwood  of  species 
native  to  the  State.  The  industries,  however,  have  to  import  over  ninety 
per  cent,  of  this  hardwood  material.  Ohio  is  somewhat  better  off  than 
Illinois,  being  able  to  produce  about  a  quarter  of  the  hardwoods  used 
in  her  wood  manufacturing  industries. 

Dependence  on  Other  States.  The  situation  in  hardwoods,  however, 
constitutes  only  one  phase  of  the  problem.  These  states  within  the  hard- 
wood belt  of  the  country  and  their  production  of  softwoods  is  and  always 
was  relatively  small.  For  general  construction  lumber  they  must  look 
to  other  sources  of  supply.  And  here  we  have  a  demand  not  only  from  the 
wood  manufacturing  industries,  but  also  from  all  other  consumers  who 
use  lumber  for  various  general  purposes,  including  the  great  number  of 
shippers  who  need  material  for  boxes,  crates,  and  other  containers. 

Among  the  consumers  of  lumber,  too,  are  representatives  of  the  greatest 
wood  consuming  group  in  the  country — the  farmers.  Though  the  farms  in 
the  central  states  have  better  and  more  adequate  buildings  than  those 
in  many  other  regions,  nevertheless  the  needs  for  building  material,  now 
and  in  the  future,  of  the  farmers  in  Indiana,  Illinois  and  Ohio  must  be 
borne  in  mind  in  considering  either  a  local  or  a  national  policy  of  forestry. 

These  facts  raise  two  very  important  questions :  First,  what  can  these 
states  do  in  the  way  of  production  of  wood  by  growth ;  and,  second,  what  is 
the  situation  in  the  rest  of  the  country  regarding  forest  supplies? 

Today  the  home  product  does  not  nearly  meet  the  annual  requirements, 
and  the  cutting  that  is  done  far  exceeds  what  is  grown  each  year.  It  is 
probable,  from  the  best  estimates  that  I  have  been  able  to  secure,  that 
the  annual  growth  of  material  of  potential  value  in  the  three  states  is 


25 

not  over  one-quarter  of  what  is  cut  each  year.  This  means  that  the 
forests  are  progressively  losing  ground  with  considerable  rapidity. 

This  deficit  is  due.  only  in  part  to  the  clearing  of  land  for  agriculture. 
It  is  due  also  to  the  failure  to  handle  the  lands  in  a  way  to  secure  good 
reproduction  and  properly  to  protect  the  young  trees  that  become  estab- 
lished. With  better  care  and  management  the  forest  lands  of  these  states 
should  yield  from  two  to  three  times  the  present  growth,  and  this  would, 
I  believe,  be  possible  without  checking  the  extension  of  cultivation  over 
lands  suited  to  that  purpose. 

These  central  states  should  not,  however,  consider  that  their  respon- 
sibility ceases  with  promoting  the  production  of  home  grown  timber.  Even 
with  that  production,  it  will  be  necessary  to  look  to  other  sources  for  a 
large  part  of  the  annual  requirements  of  the  industries,  of  the  farmers, 
and  of  other  consumers.  If  these  states  complacently  expect  that  there 
will  be  an  indefinite  supply  in  the  general  market  of  the  kind  of  material 
they  have  been  securing,  they  will  be  gravely  disillusioned,  unless  the 
present  methods  of  handling  forests  are  changed.  They  may  not  be  able 
to  act  directly  in  altering  conditions  outside  their  own  boundaries.  Where 
interstate  interests  are  involved  the  nation  itself  must  take  the  leadership 
and  direction.  Individual  states  may,  however,  express  their  demand  for 
the  protection  of  their  industrial  interests  and  support  the  government  in 
the  necessary  action  to  secure  it.' 

The  National  Problem.  We  have  throughout  our  history  drawn  chiefly 
upon  the  original  forest  growth  for  the  bulk  of  the  material  used  in  the 
industries.  Though  in  certain  localities  we  are  now  beginning  to  use 
second  growth  for  certain  purposes,  most  of  the  lumber  in  the  general 
market  comes  from  so-called  original  growth,  that  is,  from  trees  one  hun- 
dred and  fifty  to  two  hundred  and  fifty  years  old.  As  one  region  has  been 
exhausted  railroads  have  been  extended  into  new  centers  and  material  in 
abundance  has  been  furnished  the  general  market.  After  the  softwoods 
of  the  northeast  and  the  lake  states  were  largely  cut,  we  looked  to  the 
southern  pine  forests,  and  the  country  felt  secure  in  the  knowledge  that 
there  are  still  large  quantities  of  timber  on  the  Pacific  Coast.  Many 
economists  still  think  in  terms  of  our  original  supplies,  largely  ignoring 
the  high  prices  that  result  from  the  transport  of  material  for  two  or  three 
thousand  miles,  ignoring  the  consequences  of  the  withdrawal  of  competition 
from  the  older  and  more  accessible  sources  of  supplies,  ignoring  the 
effect  on  communities  of  exhausting  the  resource  that  has  constituted  the 
chief  basis  of  their  industrial  prosperity.  All  these,  and  other  matters  too, 
must  be  included  in  considering  the  economic  problems  of  forests  and 
forestry. 

The  lumber  industry  has  been  built  up  to  exploit  old  growth  timber. 
The  belief  that  there  is  a  plentiful  supply  left  somewhere  further  on  has 
made  the  country  complacent,  and  the  result  is  that  our  forests  have 
been  cut  without  reference  to  restocking  with  new  growth.  The  interest 
in  protection  has  been  chiefly  centered  on  the  old  growth  timber.  Little 
progress  has  been  made  in  restoring  to  productiveness  lands  laid  waste 
by  destructive  lumbering  and  fire. 

The  consequence  is  that  most  of  the  eastern  states  are  in  a  position 


26 

analogous  to  Indiana,  Ohio,  and  Illinois.  They  are  drawing  upon  other 
states  for  a  large  part  of  their  requirements,  the  amount  cut  each 
year  is  two  to  three  times  what  is  produced  by  growth  in  the  home 
forests,  and  there  is  an  increasing  area  of  wasted  lands  unfit  for  cultiva- 
tion and  that  might  be  producing  forests.  Prices  are  very  high,  partly 
because  of  the  same  factors  that  influence  the  price  of  other  commodities, 
partly  because  the  lumber  is  brought  from  greater  distances  or  from  less 
accessible  areas  that  require  expensive  logging  operations. 

Difficulties  are  already  being  encountered  in  securing  raw  material  of 
the  character  and  in  the  quantity  desired.  Many  of  our  newsprint 
paper  mills  of  the  east  find  increasing  embarrassment  for  pulp  wood 
within  reasonable  shipping  distance.  Some  concerns  will  probably  have 
to  close,  or  move  to  the  west. 

The  Hardwood  Situation.  Perhaps  the  most  serious  situation  exists  in 
the  matter  of  hardwood  supplies.  In  the  case  of  softwoods  there  is  a  much 
greater  reserve  supply  left  than  with  hardwoods.  Moreover,  one  species 
of  softwood  may  be  more  readily  substituted  for  another  previously  used, 
than  in  the  case  of  hardwoods. 

The  quantities  of  original  hardwood  growth  in  the  Appalachians,  the 
Ozarks,  and  southern  valleys  are  less  than  popularly  supposed.  Most 
of  the  bodies  of  timber  suited  to  major  lumber  operations  are  already 
placed,  and  the  majority  of  operators  say  that  they  have  not  more  than  ten 
to  fifteen  years'  supply  ahead.  Estimates  of  the  available  supplies  of  old 
timber  show  that  most  of  our  better  grades  of  first  growth  poplar,  basswood 
ash,  and  walnut  will  last  but  fifteen  to  twenty  years,  and  of  oak  but 
little  longer. 

This  in  itself  would  not  be  alarming  if  there  were  a  crop  of  younger 
growth  coming  on.  We  find  that  our  old  reserve  of  virgin  hardwoods  is 
being  rapidly  depleted.  This  is  inevitable.  But  unfortunately  it  is  not 
being  replaced  in  any  adequate  degree.  Not  only  is  there  almost  no 
effort  to  secure  a  replacement,  but  fires  still  burn  over  the  lands,  destroy- 
ing what  nature  may  establish  and  preventing  natural  seeding. 

The  hardwood  industries  must  look  in  the  future  to  two  sources  of 
supply:  The  mountain  regions,  such  as  the  Appalachians  and  Ozarks, 
where  there  are  large  areas  of  land  suited  only  to  tree  growth,  and  to 
the  smaller  tracts  of  land  unsuited  to  cultivation  within  the  farming 
country.  We  are  failing  to  secure  adequate  forest  replacement  and 
growth  in  both  these  natural  sources  of  future  supply. 

Our  hardwood  forests  are  progressively  deteriorating.  Some  sort  of 
vegetation  follows  cutting  as  a  rule  in  the  hardwood  region,  but  it  is 
very  commonly  of  poor  species,  scanty,  and  of  poor  form,  having  but 
little  potential  value. 

Other  countries  are  looking  to  the  United  States  for  hardwoods. 
Russia,  Finland,  and  Scandinavia  may  largely  supply  the  deficit  of  western 
Europe  for  softwoods,  but  there  will  be  a  constant  demand  by  Europe 
for  our  hardwoods  if  we  have  the  supply.  We  are  not  today  producing 
by  growth  enough  to  meet  our  own  future  needs  for  hardwoods,  let  alone 
the  needs  of  other  countries. 

The  General  Situation.    In  the  main  the  problem  of  a  supply  of  soft- 


27 

Wood  Inmbw  is  less  serious  than  of  hardwoods,  because  there  is  a  touch 
greater  reserve  supply  of  old  timber.  The  coniferous  forests  are  not,  how- 
ever, being  handled  materially  better  than  the  hardwoods,  and  the  damage 
by  fire  is  much  greater.  We  have  not  yet  mastered  the  fires.  The 
coniferous  forests  are  in  the  main  cut  without  reference  to  their  perpet- 
uation, and  the  replacement  and  growth  that  does  occur  is  far  below 
what  is  used  and  destroyed  and  only  a  small  part  of  what  the  country 
will  need  in  the  future. 

The  most  serious  situation  in  regard  to  softwoods  is  that  the  old 
centers  of  supply  are  being  rapidly  exhausted  without  adequate  replace- 
ment and  our  country  must  depend  on  material  brought  from  great  dis- 
tances. The  southern  pine  which  has  been  a  dominating  factor  in  the 
market  for  a  number  of  years  is  already  yielding  to  Pacific  Coast  lumber 
in  many  places.  This  tendency  will  increase,  for  most  of  the  old  growth 
yellow  pine  will  be  cut  within  fifteen  to  twenty  years.  This  means  that 
the  country  is  paying  a  constantly  increasing  freight  bill  for  its  lumber. 
I  don't  know  what  freight  bill  Indiana  pays.  I  think  New  York  pays 
over  six  million  dollars  a  year. 

It  is  not  sound  national  economy  for  a  country  of  our  size  to  have 
to  draw  its  lumber  supplies  from  one  section.  The  Atlantic  States 
should  not  be  required  to  obtain  their  lumber  from  three  thousand  miles 
away,  with  the  high  prices  necessitated  by  the  long  transport.  There 
should  be  producing  forests  well  distributed  throughout  the  country.  It 
is  of  interest  to  the  central  states  to  have  producing  forests  in  Minnesota 
and  in  the  south.  With  the  rapid  depletion  of  these  older  centers  and  the 
failure  to  replace  them,  the  burdens  upon  the  farmers  and  other  consumers 
in  the  central  states  and  the  east  will  increase  each  year. 

Many  have  urged  that  we  are  using  more  lumber  than  is  really  nec- 
essary. It  is  urged  that  we  can  reduce  our  consumption  of  lumber  and 
use  other  materials.  We  might  become  a  cement  using  nation  like  the 
Mediterranean  countries.  We  learned  to  do  without  a  good  many  things 
in  the  war.  But  that  does  not  signify  that  it  would  react  to  our  public 
welfare  to  do  so  in  peace  times.  Our  consumption  will  decline  if  lumber 
becomes  so  high  priced  as  to  be  out  of  reach  of  the  ordinary  buyer.  If 
it  is  available,  however,  our  total  consumption  will  not  decline;  it  will, 
in  my  opinion,  rise  in  the  future. 

Europe  is  often  cited  as  requiring  a  constantly  smaller  quantity  of 
lumber.  In  England  the  total  consumption  of  lumber  from  1851  to  1911 
increased  five-fold.  Its  per  capita  consumption  was  in  1911  three  times 
what  it  had  been  sixty  years  before. 

It  is  not  necessary  for  us  to  become  a  cement  using  nation.  It  is  not 
necessary  for  us  to  close  our  wood  using  plants.  It  is  not  necessary  for 
the  farmers  and  other  consumers  to  use  other  materials  when  they  prefer 
wood  as  a  better  and  more  convenient  material  for  many  purposes.  It  is 
not  necessary  for  our  nation  to  be  deprived  of  a  material  that  in  the  war 
proved  to  be  an  absolute  necessity  for  a  multitude  of  uses.  For  we  have 
enough  land  for  forest  production  that  is  of  little  or  no  value  for  anything 
else,  and  will  not  be  used  for  anything  else.  Some  have  estimated  that 
we  have  fifty  to  one  hundred  million  acres  of  such  lands  that  already 


28 

have  been  reduced  to  waste  and  today  lie  idle  and  unproductive,  I  am 
speaking,  of  course,  of  conditions  where  the  bulk  of  the  land,  or  a  con- 
siderable part  of  it,  is  porous  and  suited  only  to  the  growing  of  forests. 
We  can  meet  our  forest  needs  if  only  we  will  stop  the  destructive  processes 
that  are  now  in  vogue  and  employ  wholly  practical  methods  to  secure 
forest  renewal. 

Forestry  the  Solution.  The  solution  of  our  forestry  problem  con- 
sists in  stopping  the  destruction  by  fire  and  other  agencies,  in  using 
methods  that  make  possible  natural  reproduction  after  logging,  and  in 
the  restocking  by  tree  growth  of  lands  that  have  been  made  economic 
wastes.  The  fear  has  been  expressed  by  some  that  such  an  objective  would 
conflict  with  the  expansion  of  agriculture  and  stock  raising.  Exactly  the 
contrary  would  be  the  result.  No  sane  program  of  forestry  would  propose 
the  use  of  lands  for  forestry  that  are  better  adapted  to  agriculture  and 
settlement.  Forestry,  agriculture,  and  stock  raising  go  hand  in  hand. 
They  are  complementary.  It  is  possible  to  point  to  numerous  circum- 
stances and  cases  where  destructive  handling  of  forests  retards  agricul- 
tural development.  We  can  show  in  the  same  way  how  the  right  handling 
of  forests  with  protection  and  replacement  is  a  factor,  and  often  the  prin- 
cipal factor,  in  building  up  agriculture  that  otherwise  would  follow 
very  slowly  or  be  indefinitely  held  back. 

Public  Aspects  of  Forestry.  The  problem  of  forestry  has  both  a  na- 
tional and  a  local  aspect.  The  nation  is  concerned  in  the  country-wide 
securing  and  distributing  of  raw  materials  for  the  varying  needs  of  differ- 
ent regions,  and  in  the  protective  service  of  forests  on  interstate  rivers. 
The  states  and  localities  are  interested  in  the  support  of  local  industries, 
in  local  protective  benefits  of  forests,  and  in  having  lands  productive 
and  a  basis  for  support  of  the  communities. 

We  have  today  something  like  one  hundred  and  sixty  million  acres 
of  public  forests.  These  should  be,  I  believe,  practically  doubled.  We 
have  been  carrying  on  a  moderate  program  of  purchases,  having  acquired 
in  the  last  two  years  two  million  acres  in  the  east.  The  public  benefits  of 
productive  forests  justify  the  participation  of  the  public  in  working  out 
the  problem.  The  character  of  the  problem  is  such  as  to  make  public 
participation  absolutely  necessary.  It  is  one  in  which  the  nation,  the 
states,  the  communities,  and  private  owners  must  each  play  an  important 
part. 

The  emphasis  in  recent  years  on  public  forests  has  given  the  impres- 
sion that  our  forest  question  was  being  solved.  Our  National  Forests 
are  rendering  a  great  public  benefit.  They  are  under  protection  and  their 
resources  are  being  used  in  a  way  to  insure  their  perpetuation  and  con- 
tinued service  to  the  communities  and  the  nation.  Their  timber  already 
provides  a  large  part  of  the  local  demand  in  a  number  of  the  western  states 
and  will  increasingly  be  used  for  general  needs  of  the  country.  But  they 
are  not  extensive  enough  nor  well  enough  distributed  to  meet  more 
than  part  of  the  country's  needs  for  forests.  At  present  the  timber  cut 
from  them  constitutes  about  three  per  cent  of  the  entire  lumber  consump- 
tion of  the  country.  The  rest  comes  from  private  lands.  As  the  private 
timber  of  the  west  becomes  exhausted  they  will  be  of  increasing  importance 


as  a  reserve  for  the  general  market.  It  is  obvious  that  even  with  a  greatly 
extended  program  of  acqui«>Hon  of  public  forests  we  must  still  look  to 
private  forests,  exactly  as  ucner  countries  do,  for  a  part  of  our  future 
forest  supplies. 

The  problem  of  forestry  requires  action  both  by  the  public  and  by 
private  owners.  I  would  emphasize  especially  the  production  of  old 
growth  lumber  of  special  quality.  The  public  should  assume  a  much  larger 
share  of  the  burden  of  forestry  than  it  does  today,  both  in  acquiring 
and  managing  larger  areas  of  publicly  owned  forests  and  in  aiding  private 
owners  to  protect  their  lands  and  to  secure  forest  replacement. 

Responsibility  of  Private  Owners.  The  entire  burden  of  forestry  should 
not,  however,  be  assumed  by  the  public.  Private  proprietorship  of  land 
carries  with  it  certain  definite  responsibilities  that  owners  can  not  escape. 
They  have  the  duty  of  handling  their  lands  in  such  a  way  as  not  to  injure 
others  or  the  general  public.  The  turning  of  forest  lands  into  a  waste  as 
is  now  being  done  on  a  very  extensive  scale  is  a  very  great  injury  to  the 
public.  These  destructive  practices  can  be  condoned  only  on  the  ground 
that  the  public  has  complacently  permitted  them  and  has  not  furnished 
the  aid  and  direction  that  are  needed  in  getting  constructive  measures 
of  a  practical  character  into  actual  practice. 

The  character  of  the  problem  of  forestry  is  such  that  the  private 
owner  unaided  has  great  difficulty  even  in  securing  adequate  protection, 
let  alone  the  renewal  after  cutting.  The  public  must,  therefore,  share  the 
responsibility  for  the  present  situation  that  has  resulted  from  destructive 
methods.  If,  however,  the  public  does  its  part,  it  may  require  owners  to 
handle  their  lands  in  such  a  way  that  an  unproductive  waste  will  not 
follow  in  the  wake  of  their  operations. 

Need  of  a  National  Policy.  The  situation  clearly  calls  for  the  adoption 
of  a  broad  and  far-reaching  policy  for  the  nation;  a  policy  in  which 
objectives  are  clearly  defined,  the  responsibilities  of  the  public  and  of 
private  land  owners  are  recognized,  the  activities  of  both  the  public  and 
private  owners  brought  into  correlation,  and  a  practical  legislative  and 
administrative  program  outlined. 

On  various  occasions  during  the  last  eight  months  I  have  set  forth 
what  I  believe  to  be  the  principles  that  should  underlie-  such  a  policy. 
Time  does  not  permit  on  this  occasion  a  discussion  of  all  its  details,  but 
a  brief  outline  will  indicate  its  chief  features. 

A  National  Policy  Outlined.  (1)  Public  Forests.  A  national  policy 
of  forestry  should  provide  first  of  all  for  an  extensive  program  of  publicity 
owned  forests,  owned  in  part  by  the  federal  government,  in  part  by 
the  states,  and  in  part  by  municipalities,  and  by  quasi-public  institutions 
and  organizations.  At  the  present  time  the  public  owns  about  twenty-five 
per  cent  of  the  country's  forests.  This  should  be  extended  to  fully  forty 
or  fifty  per  cent. 

The  federal  holdings  should  be  extended  by  purchase,  by  exchange  of 
stumpage  for  cut-over  lands,  by  additions  to  the  National  Forests  of  land 
now  in  the  unreserved  public  domain.  It  should  be  the  aim  to  include 
areas  needed  for  the  protection  of  watersheds,  for  the  prevention  of 
erosion  for  recreation  and  other  general  public  purposes.  Cut-over 


30 

lands  should  be  acquired  for  the  additional  purpose  of  future  production 
of  lumber  and  other  products,  and  of  establishing  demonstration  areas 
and  centers  of  federal  co-operation  with  states  and  private  owners.  These 
federal  forests  should  be  distributed  in  all  forest  regions  of  the  country. 

The  states  should  establish  public  forests  with  the  same  general 
objectives  as  the  federal  forests  and  with  special  reference  to  the  local 
economic  and  industrial  needs.  Several  of  our  states  have  already  outlined 
a  definite  program  of  acquisition  toward  which  they  are  working  as  fast 
as  money  can  be  supplied.  Thus  the  officers  of  Pennsylvania,  which 
already  own  over  one  million  acres,  have  a  program  for  acquiring  over 
four  million  acres  more.  New  York  has  an  ambitious  program  and  is 
adding  to  her  forests  rapidly.  Massachusetts  is  endeavoring  to  secure 
some  two  hundred  and  fifty  thousand  acres,  and  other  states  are  making 
progress  along  the  same  line.  Indiana  has  made  an  excellent  beginning. 
It  is  hoped  that  it  will  be  possible  to  secure  the  dunes  for  a  great  recre- 
ation park,  and  I  hope  that  the  movement  also  may  extend  to  acquiring 
larger  public  areas  within  the  other  forest  regions  of  the  State.  The 
establishment  of  well  located  state  forests  in  Illinois  and  Ohio  would 
grea  tly  stimulate  the  interest  in  forestry  and  aid  in  securing  better  hand- 
ling of  private  woods. 

Every  encouragement  should  also  be  given  to  municipalities  to  acquire 
public  forests  and  woodland  parks.  The  municipality  or  community  forest 
is  a  great  factor  in  European  countries.  Their  benefit  has  been  con- 
spicuously demonstrated.  Many  cities  and  towns  in  this  country  already 
have  public  woodlnads.  The  movement  should  be  greatly  extended. 

Private  Forests.  The  safeguarding  and  perpetuation  of  forests  on 
private  lands  are  possible  through  an  organized  system  of  fire  protection, 
through  the  prohibition  of  destructive  processes  that  produce  waste  lands, 
and  through  the  promotion  of  constructive  and  entirely  practical  measures 
of  forestry.  The  participation,  liberal  co-operation  and  direction  of  the 
public  in  working  out  the  problems  involved  is  essential  to  success. 

Fire  Protection.  Effective  fire  protection  is  achieved  only  through  a 
joint  undertaking  between  public  and  private  agencies  in  which  all 
lands,  regardless  of  ownership,  are  brought  under  an  organized  system. 
Necessarily  conditions  in  different  states  vary  widely.  In  these  central 
states  the  requirements  are  quite  different  from  those  in  Minnesota, 
Oregon,  Maine,  or  Louisiana. 

In  general  there  should  be  incorporated  in  the  forest  laws  of  the  State 
requirements  to  bring  all  forest  owners  into  the  protective  system,  and 
to  extend  it  to  all  cut-over  and  unimproved  lands  in  the  State  not  needed 
for  agriculture,  together  with  the  disposal,  by  lopping  or  burning,  of 
dangerous  slashings  and  other  special  measures  that  the  local  conditions 
may  require. 

There  should  be  provided  by  the  State  the  administrative  machinery 
necessary  to  carry  out  the  work  effectively. 

The  public  should  share  in  the  burden  of  protection.  The  division 
of  cost  will  -necessarily  vary  in  different  states,  as  is  now  the  case 
among  those  states  which  have  inaugurated  such  a  system.  The  public 
may  properly  bear  the  cost  of  the  State-wide  patrol  system,  including 


31 

overhead,  inspection,  look-outs,  and  similar  items,  and  a  portion  of  the 
fire  suppression  costs. 

In  general,  the  cost  of  the  preventive  system  should  be  shared  about 
equally  between  the  public  and  the  owner  of  the  land.  At  the  present 
time  assistance  by  the  states  and  the  efforts  of  the  private  owners  alike 
are  inadequate.  Measures  like  brush  disposal  are  essentially  a  part  of 
the  logging  operation  and  should  be  a  charge  against  it. 

The  Federal  Government  should  grant  liberal  aid  in  fire  protection, 
far  greater  than  at  present.  Its  aid  should  be  contingent  on  the  State's 
inaugurating  and  carrying  out  such  a  system  as  above  described.  This 
financial  help  should  not  exceed  in  amount  that  appropriated  by  the  State. 

I  think  that  the  Federal  Government  should  grant  a  much  larger 
co-operation  than  they  have  heretofore.  We  have  been  distributing  about 
one  hundred  thousand  dollars  to  meet  the  conditions  of  the  Federal  law. 
This,  of  course,  is  very  small.  We  have  a  national  problem  and  I  believe 
that  the  national  government  should  provide  liberally  to  aid  the  states, 
making  the  aid  contingent  on  acts  by  the  states. 

Protection  Against  Insects  and  Diseases.  As  in  fire  protection,  the 
spread  of  dangerous  insect  infestations  and  diseases  requires  the  aid  and 
direction  of  the  public.  Both  the  national  and  State  governments  should 
participate  and  appropriate  liberally  to  check  the  depredations. 

Forest  Renewal.  The  renewal  of  forests  on  lands  not  required  for 
agriculture  and  settlement  is  an  essential  feature  of  a  national  policy 
of  forestry  and  an  effective  program  should  be  worked  out  in  each  state, 
backed  by  appropriate  legislation  and  efficient  administration,  which  will 
achieve  this  object  on  private  as  well  as  on  public  property.  As  in  the 
case  of  fire  protection,  forest  renewal  on  private  lands  require  the  partici- 
pation and  aid  of  the  public. 

There  are  two  problems  of  forest  renewal:  First,  the  restocking  of 
lands  already  cut  over  and  now  in  a  condition  of  waste;  and,  second, 
providing  for  natural  reproduction  as  the  timber  is  cut. 

Probably  the  only  way  to  secure  a  restocking  of  cut-over  waste  lands  is 
for  them  to  be  replanted.  Michigan  is  pursuing  the  policy  of  replanting, 
and  a  number  of  other  states  are  beginning  to  follow  that  example.  Where 
there  are  still  seed-bearing  trees  on  cut-over  lands,  or  seed  in  the  ground, 
continued  fire  protection  may  often  suffice  for  restocking.  Where  there 
Is  no  chance  for  natural  reproduction,  planting  or  sowing  will  be  necessary. 
The  public  will  have  to  take  over  a  large  portion  of  the  cut-over  lands  and 
restore  them  to  productivity.  In  many  cases,  however,  owners  may  be 
Induced  to  restock  their  waste  lands  as  a  business  undertaking. 

Provision  for  forest  renewal  should  be  made  at  the  time  of  cutting. 
Sufficient  restocking  of  the  average  private  tract  can  be  secured  by  natural 
measures.  On  certain  types  of  forests,  forest  renewal  will  result  from 
fire  protection  alone.  In  many  instances,  however,  where  exploitation  is 
unrestricted  fire  protection  alone  does  not  suffice  to  secure  renewal  and  to 
prevent  the  lands  becoming  waste. 

If  protection  alone  does  not  suffice  to  secure  forest  reproduction,  the 
owners  should  be  required  to  adopt  such  additional  measures  as  may  be 
necessary  to  accomplish  this,  with  co-operative  aid  by  the  public  in  work- 


32 

ing  qut  the  problem  as  a  practical  undertaking.  As  in  the  case  of  fire 
protection,  the  additional  measures  necessary  for  forest  renewal  should 
be  made  a  part  of  a  systematic  program  in  which  the  public  and  private 
owners  engage  in  a  joint  undertaking  with  a  common  objective. 

The  first  steps  in  this  undertaking  are  to  determine  in  each  region : 

1.  The  circumstances  under  which  fire  protection  alone  will  not  suffice 
to  prevent  wasting  of  the  land  under  prevailing  methods  of  lumbering. 

2.  The  additional  measures  necessary  to  secure  conditions  favorable 
for  natural  renewal. 

3.  The  classes  of  land  upon  which  forest  growth  should  be  continued. 

4.  The    co-operation    that   should   be   given   by    the   public   to   make 
feasible  in  practice  the  measures  that  it  may  be  necessary  for  the  owners 
to  take. 

5.  The  legislation  needed  to  bring  these  measures  into  practice  as  a 
part  of  the  State's  program  of  forestry. 

Special  Problems  in  the  Central  States.  In  the  states  of  Illinois,  Indi- 
ana and  Ohio,  our  problem  is  essentially  one  of  the  farm  woodland.  Here 
we  have  to  do  with  small  tracts  and  small  operations.  In  some  ways  the 
problem  is  a  simpler  one  than  in  the  great  lumber  regions.  In  the  first 
place  the  fire  danger  is  easily  controlled.  Then  again  the  work  can  usu- 
ally be  brought  into  close  correlation  with  other  phases  of  farm  manage- 
ment. Of  great  value  also  is  the  fact  that  the  owner  himself  is  often  the 
manager  and  can  give  personal  direction  to  the  work  of  forestry. 

In  such  circumstances  the  aid  of  the  states  may  be  directed  to  educating 
the  farmer  in  how  to  cut  his  woodland  in  order  to  secure  natural  reproduc- 
tion, how  to  thin  the  young  stands  so  as  to  increase  their  growth  and 
value,  how  to  reforest  the  lands  now  waste,  how  best  to  market  his  wood- 
land products,  and  so  on.  Advice  should  be  afforded  through  the  State 
Forester  and  the  agricultural  field  agents.  Planting  stock  should  be 
offered  at  cost,  with  assistance  in  establishing  plantations.  Co-operative 
marketing  enterprises  should  be  encouraged  when  this  is  practical. 

Public  Assistance  to  Private  Owners.  As  already  explained,  the  public 
should  aid  private  owners  in  organized  fire  protection,  in  giving  direct 
advice  in  regard  to  the  methods  of  handling  their  properties,  and  in  furn- 
ishing planting  material  at  cost. 

In  many  parts  of  the  country  the  present  form  of  taxation  is  acting 
as  a  detriment  to  owners'  handling  the  forests  conservatively  and  it  even 
tends  to  force  premature  and  wasteful  cutting.  In  general,  the  form  of 
taxation  that  should  be  substituted  is  to  levy  an  annual  tax  on  the  land 
and  a  yield  tax  on  the  timber  when  it  is  cut.  Each  state  should  give  this 
problem  careful  study  and  provide  a  form  of  taxation  that  will  encourage 
the  owners  to  grow  trees  on  their  cut-over  and  waste  land.  The  Federal 
Government  may  well  give  assistance  to  the  states  in  this  study. 

Further  assistance  could  with  propriety  be  given  by  extending  to  forests 
the  existing  legislation  providing  for  farm  loans  so  as  to  include  loans 
for  the  purchase  and  improvement  of  forest  lands,  to  encourage  the  holding 
of  lands  previously  acquired,  where  the  purpose  of  the  owner  is  to  hold 
and  protect  cut-over  lands  or  those  having  growing  timber,  to  reforest 
lands  by  seeding  or  planting,  or  to  use  other  measures  in  promoting  forest 
production. 


33 

Other  measures  of  co-operation  and  aid  would  include  research  in 
forestry  and  forest  products,  land  classification,  obtaining  and  diffusing 
information  regarding  our  forest  resources  and  industrial  conditions.  Of 
special  importance  is  a  comprehensive  survey  of  the  forest  resources  of 
the  country,  to  determine  the  quantities  of  existing  timber  suited  to  differ- 
ent industrial  uses,  the  current  and  future  requirements  of  different  regions, 
the  possible  production  of  our  forests  by  growth,  and  other  matters  that 
would  aid  in  developing  a  national  policy  of  forestry. 

Function  of  the  Federal  Government.  The  Federal  Government  has  a 
function  not  only  in  owning  and  administering  the  National  Forests ;  it 
should  take  the  leadership  in  formulating  a  national  policy  that  includes 
the  right  handling  of  private  forests.  The  Federal  Government  alone  can 
act  effectively  to  bring  about  concurrent  action  as  between  the  states. 
Its  research  and  educational  work  may  be  directed  to  the  problems  of 
the  nation  and  of  regions  that  comprise  more  than  one  state.  It  can 
stimulate  and  guide  local  action  where  the  states  acting  individually  would 
fail.  The  Government  is  in  a  position  to  organize  all  agencies  affected  by 
the  forest  problem  in  a  united  effort  to  carry  out  a  program  of  forestry. 

The  legislation  directly  affecting  the  private  owner  in  the  protection  and 
renewal  of  forests  may  best  be  by  the  states  if  they  will  only  take  the 
action.  The  Government  should  aid  the  states  in  formulating  plans  and 
developing  methods  and  should  give  direct  financial  assistance  in  carrying 
them  out. 

The  Federal  Government  has  not  given  adequate  assistance  to  the 
states.  It  has  helped  to  some  extent  in  fire  protection  and  research.  One 
hundred  thousand  dollars  a  year  is  now  distributed  to  states  qualifying 
under  the  law  to  receive  it,  for  organized  protective  work.  This  principle 
of  assistance  should  be  greatly  extended  both  in  amount  for  protective 
work  and  in  scope  to  include  other  lines  of  forest  activities. 

The  direct  aid  of  the  states  by  the  government,  made  contingent  on 
adoption  by  the  former  of  acceptable  programs  of  forest  legislation  and 
administration,  would  help  to  secure  concurrent  action  in  different  states 
and  would  make  possible  the  standardization  of  methods,  and  the  achieve- 
ment of  results  impossible  without  such  aid. 

The  first  step  in  inaugurating  a  national  policy  of  forestry  is  a  federal 
law  providing  the  authority  to  co-operate  with  the  states  in  formulating 
and  carrying  out  a  program  of  forestry  along  the  lines  indicated  in  this 
statement;  and  carrying  an  appropriation  that  can  be  used  to  assist  such 
states  as  inaugurate  and  put  into  effect  a  program  determined  to  be  ade- 
quate by  the  Secretary  of  Agriculture. 

A  great  deal  can  be  accomplished  pending  such  substantial  co-operation, 
but  with  the  aid  that  the  nation  might  offer,  results  could  be  accomplished 
that  otherwise  would  be  impossible. 

I  may  say  that  there  are  some  people  who  do  not  agree  that  the  program 
of  forestry  should  be  carried  out  through  the  states.  I  have,  however, 
undertaken  and  proposed  a  program  of  very  greatly  increased  activities 
by  the  states,  backed  up  both  in  the  matter  of  assistance  in  carrying  it  out, 
and  by  a  large  appropriation,  without  which  the  states  themselves  can  not 
possibly  get  the  work  under  way.  (Applause) 


34 

THE  CHAIRMAN:  I  have  observed  your  close  attention  as  our  na- 
tional forester  gave  to  us  this  illuminating  paper.  Many  of  the  points 
which  Colonel  Graves  has  raised  here  are  to  be  considered  in  special 
papers.  I  am  sure  that  some  of  you  would  like  to  ask  some  questions. 
There  will  be  an  opportunity  later  in  the  afternoon  for  this.  The  next 
speaker  is  Mr.  J.  G.  Peters,  whose  subject  is  "Co-operation  Between 
Federal  Government  and  States."  (Applause) 

MR.  J.  G.  PETERS :  Ladies  and  gentlemen,  the  program  which  Colonel 
Graves  has  presented  is  very  practical.  Perhaps  the  most  important 
feature  of  it  is  co-operation,  and  that  is  the  feature  I  shall  deal  with, 
especially  as  it  applies  to  the  states  and  the  Federal  Government. 

The  progress  of  any  forestry  program  will  depend,  in  general,  upon 
the  extent  of  co-operation  between  the  private  owner,  the  State,  and  the 
Federal  Government.  Each  has  an  obligation,  and  each  must  realize  this 
in  an  adequate  way  before  the  timber  supply  problem  can  begin  to  be 
solved.  In  other  words,  to  face  the  question  in  a  practical  manner,  the 
success  of  the  undertaking  is  going  to  vary  with  the  amount  of  money 
available,  for  upon  this  depends  whether  we  shall  continue  to  go  along 
with  the  customary  meager  funds  and  relatively  small  accomplishment,  or 
whether  we  shall  take  hold  in  man  fashion  and  strive  to  have  something 
to  show  for  our  efforts  in  the  next  generation  that  will  really  be  worth 
while  .  This  requires  adequate  appropriations  by  the  Federal  Government 
and  the  states  and  adequate  participation  on  the  part  of  private  forest 
owners. 

The  Federal  Government  by  reason  of  its  centralized  authority  and 
its  ability  to  raise  funds  is  the  natural  leader  in  such  a  movement  and 
should,  of  course,  give  liberal  financial  assistance.  It  has  started  in  cer- 
tain lines  in  a  small  way.  With  a  larger  public  demand,  that  is  bound  to 
be  made,  congress  will  be  obliged  to  take  the  necessary  adequate  action. 

The  interest  of  the  Federal  Government  is  very  great.  Not  only  must 
it  protect  and  manage  its  own  forest  lands,  the  National  Forests,  but  by 
reason  of  the  general  character  of  the  problems  of  timber  supply  and 
water  conservation,  which  affect  the  entire  nation,  it  also  should  assist 
in  protecting  and  encouraging  timber  production  on  other  lands.  Consider 
this  with  reference  to  the  states  of  Indiana,  Ohio,  Illinois  and  the  rest 
of  the  Middle  West.  None  of  these  states  has  an  adequate  timber  supply ; 
they  alone  can  not  furnish  their  timber  needs.  It  is  a  matter  of  concern 
to  them  how  these  needs  are  going  to  be  supplied  and  they  are  vitally  in- 
terested in  what  other  states  may  do.  They  are  interested,  too,  in  seeing 
the  Government  extend  its  aid  to  them  and  other  states  and  strive  to  insure 
all  the  states  timber  for  the  future. 

The  most  important  lines  of  co-operation  between  the  Government  and 
the  states,  where  co-operative  effort  is  almost  essential  if  results  commen- 
surate with  our  needs  are  to  be  obtained,  include  the  following : 

(1)  Acquisition  of  public  forests. 

(2)  Protection  against  forest  fires. 

(3)  Reforestation  of  denuded  lands. 

(4)  Conservative  cutting. 

(5)  Farm  forestry. 


35 

Besides  these  there  are  other  forest  activities  which  either  the  Federal 
Government  or  the  states  have  been  conducting  independently,  such  as 
an  investigation  of  the  forest  tax  problem,  a  survey  of  forest  resources, 
land  classification,  and  research.  There  is  no  question  whatever  about 
their  importance,  but  co-operative  effort  in  carrying  the  work  on  is  not 
essential,  although  in  some  instances  it  would  be  beneficial. 

One  of  the  chief  features  of  any  forest  program  must  be  the  acquisition 
by  the  public  of  lands  unsuited  for  agriculture  or  settlement.  It  is  esti- 
mated that  the  area  of  such  lands  now  in  public  ownership  should  be 
doubled,  that  is,  we  should  strive  for  an  ultimate  area  of  some  three  hun- 
dred million  acres.  National  Forests  now  aggregate  one  hundred  fifty-five 
million  acres;  and  state  forests  about  four  million,  nearly  three-fourths 
of  which  is  held  by  two  states — New  York  and  Pennsylvania.  Municipal 
forest  areas  are  negligible.  Except  where  the  lands  for  public  forests  have 
been  set  aside  from  the  public  domain,  as  has  been  the  case  with  nearly 
all  the  National  Forests  and  some  State  Forests,  notably  those  in  the  Lake 
States,  the  acquisition  of  such  lands  has  been  a  very  slow  process.  The 
Federal  Government  has  been  purchasing  lands  for  National  Forest  pur- 
poses since  1911  and,  in  this  period  of  nearly  nine  years,  the  funds  appro- 
priated have  amounted  to  only  $11,600,000  and  the  area  acquired  totals 
less  than  two  million  acres.  The  cost  per  acre  has  averaged  about  five 
dollars  and  twenty-five  cents.  The  appropriation  recommended  for  the 
current  fiscal  year  was  two  million  dollars ;  congress  cut  it  to  six  hundred 
thousand  dollars.  The  states,  with  the  exception  of  New  York  and  Penn- 
sylvania, have  done  comparatively  little.  New  York  has  acquired  nearly 
two  million  acres  for  State  Forest  purposes,  and  has  recently  authorized 
an  issue  of  seven  million  five  hundred  thousand  dollars  of  bonds  to  supply 
funds  for  purchasing  additional  areas ;  Pennsylvania  has  about  one  million 
acres;  Michigan,  Wisconsin  and  Minnesota  between  three  hundred  thou- 
sand and  four  hundred  thousand  each ;  ten  other  states  have  forests  ranging 
in  area  from  sixty  thousand  acres  to  less  than  one  thousand. 

As  the  bulk  of  the  area  to  be  acquired  will  necessarily  have  to  be  pur- 
chased, the  cost  will  amount  to  at  least  three-quarters  of  a  billion  dollars. 
But  at  the  present  rate  of  acquisition,  no  material  accomplishment  can  be 
hoped  for  in  a  long  time.  Especially  is  this  the  case  with  the  states,  as 
has  been  shown.  Therefore,  it  is  desirable  not  only  to  speed  up  appro- 
priations by  congress  and  the  state  legislature  but,  at  the  same  time,  to 
devise  a  plan  by  which  the  Federal  Government  can  aid  the  states.  I 
am  convinced  that  some  co-operative  plan  for  encouraging  the  states  to 
adopt  an  adequate  purchase  policy  is  needed.  I  suggest  that  the  Govern- 
ment loan  to  the  states  the  necessary  funds  subject  to  the  approval  of  the 
National  Forest  Reservation  Commission,  which  is  the  commission  that 
approves  the  purchase  of  lands  for  National  Forests.  The  Government 
should  obtain  the  funds  through  the  issue  of  bonds,  and  the  loans  should 
be  made  on  a  long-term  basis.  The  National  Forest  Reservation  Commis- 
sion would  make  the  actual  purchases  subject  to  the  approval  of  the  sim- 
ilar State  commission,  and  the  Government  would  be  secured  in  the 
transaction  by  retaining  title  to  the  lands  until  the  debt  was  liquidated. 
At  the  same  time  tha  State  would  be  the  custodian  of  the  property  and 


8(5 

Would  protect  and  manage  it  and  collect  the  receipts.  The  Government 
would  lose  nothing  on  such  deals  because  it  would  charge  the  states  enough 
to  meet  the  interest  payments  on  the  bonds,  and  the  states  would  thus  get 
the  benefit  of  the  Government's  credit  and  low  rates  of  interest.  States 
should  not  find  such  transactions  a  heavy  financial  burden,  for  the  sale 
of  forest  products  and  the  fees  for  grazing  and  other  uses  should  furnish 
the  money  not  only  to  pay  the  interest  on  the  loans,  in  many  cases  from 
the  very  beginning,  but  also  to  build  up  a  surplus  to  pay  off  the  loans. 

Before  passing  on  the  next  subject  I  might  pause  here  to  say  that  some 
persons,  especially  some  of  those  who  got  alarmed  over  the  proposal  for 
a  program  of  forestry  on  private  lands,  would  have  the  public  buy  all  the 
large  bodies  of  cut-over  land  and  would  make  the  public  practically  the 
only  large  forest  owner.  Entirely  aside  from  the  questions  of  whether 
this  would  be  good  policy  in  the  light  of  the  experience  of  other  nations 
and  whether  our  public  would  approve  it,  the  plan  would  not  be  desirable 
as  meeting  present  needs.  If  what  has  been  accomplished  in  public  acqui- 
sition in  the  past  is  any  indication  of  what  might  be  expected  in  the  future, 
it  is  perfectly  apparent  that  to  complete  any  reasonable  program  of  acqui- 
sition will  require  many  years. 

While  it  is  urgent  that  the  Federal  Government  and  the  states  acquire 
public  forests  and  properly  take  care  of  them — protect  them  from  fire,  cut 
them  conservatively,  reforest  them,  and  so  on,  their  obligation  goes  much 
farther.  They  must,  at  the  same  time,  recognize  their  responsibility  in 
encouraging  the  proper  care  of  private  forests,  the  area  of  which  even  after 
the  program  of  acquisition  has  been  completed  will  at  least  equal  the  area  of 
public  forests.  The  public  has  scarcely  any  greater  obligation  in  forestry 
than  aiding  in  the  protection  of  private  forests  from  fire.  Nor  is  there  any 
forest  activity  where  co-operation  between  Government  and  state  will  bring 
quicker  and  better  results. 

Fire  protection  is  fundamental.  It  is  the  chief  means  of  preserving 
timber  growth  to  the  end  that  forestry  may  be  practiced  and  a  continu- 
ous supply  of  timber  maintained.  Adequate  fire  protection  will  undoubt- 
edly solve  a  large  part  of  our  forest  problem.  It  will  save  timber  now 
standing  and  it  will  promote  natural  regeneration  on  most  cut-over  lands 
after  lumbering. 

Already  a  beginning-  has  been  made  in  co-operative  fire  protection  by  tne 
Government  and  states  though  in  a  very  inadequate  way  financially.  Never- 
theless, enough  has  been  accomplished  to  demonstrate  the  practical  value 
of  the  co-operation,  and  furthermore  a  precedent  for  Federal  and  State 
co-operative  effort  in  forestry  has  been  established  by  the  specific  terms  of 
a  Federal  law.  This  law  is  the  well  known  Weeks  Act  which  passed  con- 
gress in  March,  1911.  It  provided  for  two  things,  the  acquisition  of  lands 
for  National  Forest  purposes  and  co-operation  with  states  in  protection 
from  forest  fires.  The  latter  provision  was  an  afterthought;  it  was  an 
experimental  feature,  but  that  it  is  now  justified  as  a  permanent  policy  of 
the  Government  the  results  achieved  are  conclusive  proof. 

The  appropriation  for  co-operative  fire  protection  for  the  current  year 
is  one  hundred  thousand  dollars.  The  law  requires  that  the  protection 
must  be  limited  to  private  and  State  lands  OD  the  forested  watersheds 


37 

of.  navigable  streams,  that  a  state  must  have  provided  by  law  for  a  system 
of  forest  fire  protection,  and  that  the  federal  expenditure  in  any  state 
can  not  exceed  in  the  same  year  the  expenditure  made  by  the  state. 

Co-operation  began  in  1911  with  eleven  states,  in  which  approximately 
seven  million  acres  of  forest  land  received  protection,  two  hundred  federal 
patrolmen  were  employed,  and  the  federal  expenditure  was  only  about 
thirty-nine  thousand  dollars.  The  number  of  states  is  now  twenty-four, 
the  area  protected  is  approximately  fifteen  million  acres,  the  number  of 
federal  patrolmen  employed  is  four  hundred,  and  the  federal  expenditure 
is  practically  the  full  appropriation  of  one  hundred  thousand  dollars.  These 
states  include  all  but  one  of  the  Northeastern  States,  about  half  of  the 
Southern  States,  the  three  Lake  States,  the  four  in  the  Pacific  Northwest, 
and  California.  The  chief  result  accomplished  by  this  co-operation,  besides 
the  purchase  of  a  certain  amount  of  protection,  has  been  educational, 
especially  in  encouraging  states  which  have  had  no  protective  system  to 
enact  legislation  providing  for  one  and  appropriating  funds  for  its  support. 
Furthermore,  private  owners  have  been  encouraged  through  state  and  fed- 
eral co-operation  to  adopt  protective  measures  and,  where  practicable,  to 
organize  into  associations. 

The  federal  appropriation  is  allotted  to  the  states  on  the  basis  of  the 
greatest  good  to  the  greatest  number.  A  maximum  is  fixed,  depending  on 
the  number  of  states  to  receive  co-operation.  At  first  this  was  ten  thousand 
dollars,  but  the  increase  in  the  number  of  states  necessitated  a  reduction 
first  to  eight  thousand  dollars  and  then  to  seven  thousand  dollars.  The 
money  is  used  primarily  for  the  hire  of  lookout  watchmen  and  patrolmen. 
The  watchmen  are  stationed  on  prominent  points  from  which  the  lower 
country  can  be  seen  and  forest  fires  readily  detected.  By  means  of  tele- 
phone, these  men  describe  the  location  of  a  fire  to  patrolmen  or  fire  wardens, 
who  endeavor  to  secure  help,  if  necessary,  and  reach  the  fire  as  quickly 
as  possible. 

As  compared  with  the  federal  expenditure  of  one  hundred  thousand 
dollars  annually,  the  twenty-four  states  co-operating  are  expending  about 
six  hundred  fifty  thousand  dollars,  and  private  owners  in  these  states 
approximately  a  like  amount.  The  private  and  state  holdings  in  these 
twenty-four  states  which  require  protection  from  fire,  including  both  tim- 
bered and  cut-over  lands,  aggregate  at  least  one  hundred  forty  million 
acres.  To  adequately  protect  this  area  will  require  a  minimum  expendi- 
ture of  one  and  one-half  cents  an  acre  yearly,  or  something  more  than 
two  million  dollars.  If,  as  stated  above,  these  states  and  private  owners 
are  together  expending  about  a  million  and  a  quarter,  this  sum  falls  short 
of  the  estimated  minimum  by  about  three-quarters  of  a  million.  From  these 
figures,  it  is  obvious  that  the  Federal  Government  is  not  recognizing  its 
responsibility  in  this  matter  in  adequate  fashion.  Furthermore,  these 
twenty-four  states  do  not  include  such  important  timber  states  as  Penn- 
sylvania, Tennessee,  South  Carolina,  Georgia,  Florida,  Alabama,  Missis- 
sippi and  Arkansas.  If  these  were  extended  co-operation,  the  above-men- 
tioned area  of  one  hundrded  forty  million  acres  would  be  increased  to  at 
least  two  hundred  millions,  for  the  adequate  protection  of  which  the 
yearly  minimum  expenditure  required  would  amount  to  three  million  dol- 


38 

lars.  My  opinion  is,  therefore,  that  when  the  states  and  private  owners  do 
their  part,  with  the  latter  disposing  of  their  slash  after  lumbering,  the 
fair  share  of  the  Government  in  the  co-operation  would  be  at  least  one 
million  dollars. 

Before  leaving  the  subject  of  co-operative  fire  protection  as  provided 
for  under  the  Weeks  Law,  I  wish  to  say  that  it  is  my  feeling  that  the 
best  interests  of  the  public  would  be  served  by  doing  away  with  the  limita- 
tion in  that  law  in  regard  to  the  watersheds  of  navigable  streams  and  by 
placing  the  co-operation  exclusively  on  the  basis  of  protecting  our  future 
timber  supplies.  Merely  because  the  purchase  of  lands  is  limited  to  such 
watersheds  is  no  sound  reason  for  so  limiting  the  co-operative  fire  pro- 
tection. It  places  an  unnecessary  restriction  on  the  expenditure  of  federal 
funds  on  certain  lands  where  protection  is  urgently  needed.  All  forest 
lands  need  protection  from  fire.  This  restriction  should  be  removed. 

I  have  in  this  paper  given  the  subject  of  fire  protection  more  space 
than  other  subjects,  and  I  realize  that  it  is  of  minor  importance  in  parts  of 
Indiana,  Ohio,  and  Illinois.  Still,  it  is  the  largest  forest  problem  which 
confronts  the  country  as  a  whole,  and  I  realize  how  very  seriously  it 
affects  your  wood-using  industries  which  draw  their  supplies  of  lumber  and 
other  forest  products  largely  from  other  states.  Moreover,  fire  protection 
is  the  only  co-operative  undertaking  in  forestry  which  the  Government  and 
the  states  have  started  on  a  substantial  and  permanent  basis. 

Along  with  fire  protection  should  go  the  reforestation  of  denuded  lands. 
Whatever  areas  of  this  character  which  the  Government  or  the  states  do 
not  acquire,  and  the  aggregate  will  be  large,  will,  by  reason  of  the  time 
element  and  present  economic  conditions,  remain  unforested  for  a  long  per- 
iod unless  the  Government  and  the  states  co-operate  with  the  private  own- 
ers. Some  of  the  states  have  been  doing  this  for  a  number  of  years.  The 
common  practice  is  to  sell  the  planting  stock  at  cost.  But  even  so,  the  ac- 
complishment in  the  reforestation  of  private  lands  has  been  almost  insignifi- 
cant both  because  of  the  small  appropriations  made  by  the  states  for  the 
purpose  and  because  of  the  cost  of  placing  the  young  trees  in  the  ground, 
which  of  necessity  has  largely  to  be  done  by  inexperienced  labor.  The 
present  average  cost  of  such  planting  is  in  the  neighborhood  of  ten  dollars 
an  acre,  including  the  price  of  the  trees  which  generally  amounts  to  less 
than  half.  If  we  consider  first  only  the  most  important  stretches  of  de- 
nuded lands,  it  is  estimated  that  the  area  totals  at  least  five  million  acres. 
The  cost  of  reforesting  this  would  amount  to  approximately  fifty  million 
dollars  or  if  one  hundred  thousand  acres  could  be  reforested  annually, 
the  yearly  cost  would  be  one  million  dollars.  Even  so  small  a  program  of 
reforestation  would  require  fifty  years.  If  private  owners  would  enter 
into  contracts  with  the  states  by  which  the  former  would  pay  the  cost 
of  the  planting  operation,  which  would  be  at  least  one-half  of  the  total,  and 
agree  to  give  the  plantation  the  necessary  protection  and  care,  I  believe 
that  the  Federal  Government  would  be  justified  in  giving  the  undertaking 
the  great  encouragement  that  it  would,  by  sharing  with  the  states  the 
remainder  on  a  fifty-fifty  basis,  or,  if  I  may  be  specific,  by  making  a  yearly 
appropriation  of  two  hundred  fifty  thousand  dollars. 

Some  day  we  shall  have  in  this  country  a  sustained  yield  of  timber  an- 


39 

nually.  Some  day  we  shall  manage  our  forests  with  this  in  view.  A  few 
organizations,  like  the  larger  pulp  companies,  are  endeavoring  now  to  get 
on  a  sustained  yield  basis.  But  in  many  cases  this  is  scarcely  possible  on 
account  of  the  pressure  for  quick  returns  and  the  method  of  financing  for- 
est lands.  The  Federal  Government  and  states  should  co-operate  as  far  as 
possible  in  encouraging  and  aiding  private  owners  to  cut  their  forests  con- 
servatively. The  way  which  appears  now  to  be  the  most  feasible  is  through 
some  form  of  loan  that  will  enable  timber  land  owners  to  secure  money 
from  the  Government  or  states  on  easier  terms  than  is  possible  elsewhere, 
and  a  change  in  the  method  of  taxing  forest  land.  It  has  been  suggested 
that  the  provisions  of  the  Farm  Loan  Act  be  extended  to  include  the 
financing  of  forest  properties  and  that  Federal  Forest  Loan  banks  be  estab- 
lished. By  whatever  financial  and  taxation  plans  the  conservative  handling 
of  our  forests  is  made  possible,  the  Government  and  states  might  co-operate 
further,  and  follow  the  custom  in  some  foreign  countries,  by  detailing  for- 
esters to  the  owners  of  the  large,  so-called  commercial  timber  tracts  to 
assist  in  the  execution  of  the  work. 

The  conservative  handling  of  forests  connected  with  the  farms  can  be 
very  largely  encouraged  through  the  agricultural  extension  work  conducted 
under  the  Smith-Lever  law.  The  appropriation  under  this  law  for  the 
current  year  is  over  four  million  five  hundred  thousand  dollars  which,  for 
the  most  part,  the  states  must  duplicate.  The  money  is  allotted  to  the 
states  on  the  basis  of  rural  population  and  is  expended  through  the  States 
Relations  Service  in  co-operation  with  the  Director  of  Extension  in  the 
various  states.  The  work  is  chiefly  demonstrational  and  is  conducted  by 
county  agents  right  on  the  ground.  One  can  readily  see  the  possibilities 
in  this  for  extension  in  farm  forestry.  It  offers  practically  a  virgin  field. 
No  phase  of  forestry  is  of  greater  importance  to  the  states  of  Indiana, 
Ohio,  and  Illinois,  than  the  proper  handling  of  farm  woodlands  on  the 
basis  of  continuous  production.  The  area  of  farm  woodlands  in  these 
states  is  about  ten  million  acres,  which  is  something  like  ninety  per  cent, 
of  their  aggregate  forest  area,  and  farm  woodlands  occupy  between  ten 
and  fifteen  per  cent  of  the  area  in  farms. 

As  in  agriculture  so  in  forestry  the  most  effective  way  to  encourage 
farmers  to  adopt  scientific  practice  is  through  field  demonstrations  on  their 
own  property  or  in  their  own  locality.  Of  course,  any  increase  in  the 
value  of  products  is  an  additional  incentive.  Farmers  have  given  little 
or  no  attention  to  the  proper  handling  of  their  woodland  and  they  have 
been  strikingly  ignorant  of  the  value  of  wood  products.  As  a  rule,  they 
are  chiefly  interested  in  getting  immediate  returns  from  the  woodland 
and  care  little  about  its  future  development.  This  fact  should  serve  as 
a  method  of  approach  in  encouraging  them  to  cut  their  timber  conserva- 
tively. In  other  words,  they  must  be  assisted  in  getting  larger  revenue  if 
they  are  to  become  more  interested  in  improving  the  woodland  and  raising 
more  and  better  timber.  To  this  end  farmers  need  to  be  given  practical 
information  about  markets  for  the  various  kinds  of  timber,  methods  of 
selling,  the  variation  in  the  common  log  rules  used,  and  where  practicable 
the  grading  of  lumber.  In  some  cases  it  may  also  be  feasible  for  the  farm- 
ers to  form  co-operative  marketing  associations  similar  to  other  agricul- 


40 

tural  associations  for  marketing  purposes,  since  an  association  of  this  kinfl 
would  be  able  to  get  the  advantage  of  cheaper  freight  rates  and  market 
the  material  to  better  advantage  than  the  individual  owner. 

Farm  forestry  should  be  an  important  branch  of  farm  management, 
particularly  in  connection  with  diversified  farming,  such  as  is  practiced  in 
this  region.  It  offers  the  opportunity  for  the  use  of  otherwise  idle  land. 
The  forest  on  the  farm  is  the  source  of  much  wood  for  home  use  such  as 
fuel,  fence  materials,  and  rough  building  stock,  and  where  coal  is  largely 
used  it  affords  a  reserve  fuel  supply;  it  acts  as  a  windbreak  for  crops;  it 
affords  shade  for  stock;  it  offers  an  opportunity  for  the  profitable  employ- 
ment of  men  and  teams  at  times  when  other  farm  work  is  light;  it  helps 
to  check  erosion,  and  it  brings  in  revenue  from  the  sale  of  wood  products. 
Surely  in  this  region  the  most  should  be  made  of  the  farm  woodland. 

Farm  forestry  is  recognized  by  the  States  Relations  Service  as  coming 
within  the  scope  of  extension  work  authorized  by  the  Smith-Lever  law. 
But  before  it  can  be  conducted  on  an  adequate  scale  the  Forest  Service 
must  have  additional  funds  so  that  trained  foresters  can  be  employed  to 
direct  the  work.  The  states  would  then  be  authorized  also  to  employ 
foresters  with  Smith-Lever  funds  to  work  in  the  various  counties  as 
extension  foresters  who  would  conduct  demonstrations,  give  practical  in- 
formation to  the  farmers,  and  instruct  the  county  agents  in  forestry  prac- 
tice. In  the  states  of  Indiana,  Ohio  and  Illinois,  it  is  urgent  that 
co-operative  work  of  this  character  should  be  started  and  aggressively  car- 
ried on. 

I  have  endeavored  in  this  paper  briefly  to  describe  the  main  features 
of  the  important  lines  of  co-operation  which  the  Federal  Government  and 
the  states  should  undertake,  or  which,  if  already  begun,  should  be  largely 
extended.  The  question  is  chiefly  one  of  making  funds  available.  This 
is  for  the  public  through  congress  and  the  state  legislatures  to  decide.  The 
public  is  being  given  the  facts  about  our  forest  problem  by  the  state  and 
federal  forestry  departments  and  the  various  forestry  associations.  May 
we  hope  for  an  adequate  response.  (Applause) 

THE  CHAIRMAN:  Before  taking  up  the  discussion  of  these  two 
papers,  I  am  asked  to  call  your  attention  to  the  fact  that  at  eight  o'clock  in 
this  room  there  will  be  a  banquet,  the  price  of  the  tickets  being  two  dollars 
and  fifty  cents,  and  those  who  plan  to  attend  should  get  their  tickets  imme- 
diately. Also  if  you  are  thinking  of  accepting  the  invitation  to  visit  the 
experimental  farm  which  Mr.  Lieber  is  conducting,  you  should  see  the 
secretary  for  particulars  and  give  him  your  name  so  that  accommodations 
may  be  made  for  those  who  wish  to  go. 

•   DR.  LOGAN:     I  would  like  t<i  ask  Col.  Graves  to  what  extent  aero- 
planes are  being  used  in  fire  protection. 

LT.-COL.  GRAVES:  We  have  secured  the  co-operation  of  the  War 
Department  during  the  past  season  in  California  and  there  has  also  been 
some  work  done  in  Oregon.  The  original  plan  was  to  get  as  many  track 
fields,  located  in  different  parts  of  the  country,  as  possible,  but  there 
wasn't  money  enough  for  that  so  all  that  could  be  done  was  to  have  a  little 
work  done  in  their  fields.  In  the  long  run  I  believe  it  will  be  too  expensive 


41 

to  have  separate  air  service.  Now  we  have  a  patrol  on  a  forest  in  southern 
California  and  in  central  California  and  we  have  patrols  in  certain  parts 
of  Oregon.  So  far  the  aeroplane  service  has  proved  valuable  and  very  in- 
teresting. There  are  a  good  many  things  that  the  aeroplane  can  see  that 
you  can't  see  from  a  signal  station.  We  have  also  tried  the  stationary 
balloon,  but  a  man  in  an  aeroplane  which  is  moving  over  the  ground  can 
see  things  that  the  stationary  object  can't  see.  A  good  many  people  believe 
that  a  small  dirigible  would  be  a  better  instrument  than  the  plane,  but  we 
haven't  had  an  opportunity  to  try  it.  Of  course  the  greatest  difficulty  that 
we  have  is  in  the  remote,  undeveloped  wilderness  where  we  have  no  roads, 
no  trains  and  can't  get  to  the  fires  quickly  after  they  have  been  discovered. 

We  don't  go  far  enough.  We  don't  accomplish  what  we  start  out  to 
accomplish  because  of  lack  of  funds.  I  don't  know  of  a  state  that  is  getting 
enough  money  to  carry  on  protective  work. 

THE  CHAIRMAN :  Do  you  find  any  opposition  to  federal  encroachment 
on  state  reservations? 

LT.-COL.  GRAVES:  This  plan  as  I  have  proposed  is  assisting  the 
states  along  these  lines.  The  federal  officers  are  working  under  the  state 
forestry. 

THE  CHAIRMAN:  The  reason  I  asked  that  question  is  because  I 
have  had  a  small  part  in  the  admission  of  the  Smith-Lever  act  in  Illinois. 
I  have  been  surprised  to  find  how  many  people  there  are  who  are  a  little 
bit  alarmed  at  the  thought  of  federal  inspectors  working  instead  of  the 
state  when  the  federal  government  is  furnishing  large  sums  of  money  for 
vocational  education.  I  wonder  if  you  have  found  in  any  of  the  forestry 
propositions  as  you  have  presented  them  to  us  this  afternoon,  any  objection 
anywhere  to  federal  supervision. 

LT.-COL.  GRAVES :  I  have  found  no  objection  as  far  as  I  have  pro- 
posed it.  I  have,  on  the  other  hand,  found  a  good  many  persons  who  think 
I  do  not  go  far  enough. 

•  PROF.  BLAIR :  Mr.  Miller  in  his  paper  this  morning,  pointed  out  that 
in  the  State  of  Illinois  there  are  some  six  and  a  half  million  acres  of  land 
which  might  better  be  used  for  forestry  purposes  than  for  other  uses. 
Now  we  are  not  especially  interested  as  a  state  in  the  matter  of  fire  pro- 
tection, but  we  are  interested  in  the  proposition  of  co-operation.  It  is  now 
a  question  of  what  we  must  do  as  a  state  through  the  legislature  to  get 
the  co-operation  that  we  need  from  the  federal  government. 

LT.-COL.  GRAVES :  I'd  like  to  see  that  incorporated  into  a  law  setting 
forth  that  principle  and  appropriating  funds  which  could  be  used  by  the 
Secretary  of  Agriculture.  I  would  make  the  law  very  broad  so  that 
he  could  attend  to  reforestation  and  participate  in  the  establishment  of 
nurseries  in  the  state.  I  would  like  to  see  the  state  of  Illinois  go  a  good 
deal  further  than  they  have  so  far. 

THE  CHAIRMAN :     I  have  had  a  question  in  my  mind  as  to  what  those 
charts  are  up  there. 

MR.  PETERS :  I  might  say  that  they  are  prepared  to  show  the  lumber 
production  in  these  three  states  and  the  men  employed,  and  the  relation  of 


42 

wood-using  industries  to  all  other  industries  as  to  the  number  of  men  em- 
ployed, capital  invested,  and  value  of  the  products. 

You  will  notice  in  Illinois  there  are  140,000  men  employed  in  the  wood- 
using  industry,  while  there  are  620,000  employed  in  all  industries.  In 
Indiana  there  are  265,000  men  employed  in  all  of  the  industries  with 
70,000  employed  in  wood-using.  In  Ohio  there  are  600,000  in  all  industries 
and  90,000  in  wood-using. 

In  Illinois  there  is  $2,000,000,000  invested  in  all  industries  with  $400,- 
000,000  invested  in  lumber  using  industries.  Indiana  has  $675,000,000  in- 
vested in  all  industries  with  $175,000,0000  invested  in  wood-using  industries. 
Ohio  has  $1,675,000,000  in  all  industries  and  $160,000,000  in  wood-using. 

The  value  of  all  products  in  Illinois  is  $2,250,000,000  and  the  value  of 
wood-using  products  is  $320,000,000.  The  value  of  all  products  in  Indiana 
is  $730,000,000  and  wood-using  products  are  valued  at  $140,000,000.  In 
Ohio  the  value  of  all  products  is  $1,785,000.000  and  the  value  of  wood-using 
products  is  $175,000,000. 

MR.  LOVEJOY :  The  figures  of  these  charts  show  that  the  wood-using 
industries  employ  a  large  proportion  of  the  men  in  our  three  states  and 
that  a  large  proportion  of  the  capital  invested  in  all  industries  is  invested 
in  lumber-using  industries.  I  am  wondering  if  the  timber  deficit  is  likely 
to  be  so  great  as  to  seriously  injure  these  industries. 

LT.-COL.  GRAVES:  That  is  a  very  direct  question  which  should  be 
answered  by  a  result  of  a  direct  study.  I  can  only  answer  that  in  general 
terms.  I  have  talked  with  a  great  many  mill  men  and  asked  them  how 
much  of  a  supply  they  have  ahead  and  inquired  if  they  are  still  able  to  get 
material.  They  haven't  a  definite  supply  ahead  but  they  seem  to  think 
they  will  be  able  to  get  their  material  whenever  they  need  it. 

MR.  LOVEJOY:  Does  it  seem  likely  they  will  be  secure  for  a  period 
of  ten  years? 

LT.-COL.  GRAVES :     I  think  so. 

MR.  LOVEJOY :  Timber  is  a  long-time  crop  and  if  anything  is  to  be 
done  upon  an  adequate  scale  it  should  be  done  very  shortly. 

LT.-COL.  GRAVES :  Both  of  the  estimates'  apply  to  the  higher  grade 
timber.  We  need  in  the  first  place  the  husbanding  of  material  of  medium 
size.  We  need  to  prepare  ourselves  for  the  exhaustion  of  that  material 
and  start  to  grow  material.  I  presume  that  material  will  be  found  that 
can  be  substituted  for  the  best  grades  which  will  tide  us  over  in  a  measure 
if  we, start  now.  If  it  is  taken  hold  of  immediately,  I  think  there  is  a 
chance  of  tiding  over. 

MR.  LOVEJOY :  Then  you  would  anticipate  that  conditions  would  be- 
come really  serious  if  something  is  not  done? 

LT.-COL.  GRAVES:  Yes,  I  think  they  would  become  very  serious. 
Many  plants  would  have  to  go  out  of  business. 

THE  CHAIRMAN :  Do  you  mean  that  wood  used  in  many  things  would 
be  laid  aside  and  some  substitute  devised? 

LT.-COL.  GRAVES:     That  would  be  done  to  a  certain  extent.     But 


43 

we  have  never  found  a  satisfactory  substitute  for  wood  and  I  don't  believe 
we  ever  will.  Wood  is  a  better  material  for  a  great  many  uses  than  any 
substitute,  but  we  could  get  along  if  we  had  to,  but  not  otherwise.  I  think 
it  is  very  urgent  that  we  take  steps  now. 

THE  CHAIRMAN:  The  statement  has  been  made  that  the  average 
man  who  has  any  wood-holdings  at  all  has  no  conception  of  their  value 
and  that  people  will  sell  woodlots  and  wood-holdings  without  ever  stopping 
to  consider  their  value.  Great  sums  of  money  are  invested  in  this  part  of 
the  country  in  wood-using  industries  and  the  supply  is  steadily  growing 
smaller  and  certainly  under  such  a  plan,  it  will  soon  disappear,  so  it  seems 
to  me  that  the  most  important  thing  to  be  done  is  to  constantly  issue  this 
call  of  danger.  People  don't  understand  how  important  this  subject  is  and 
it  is  hard  to  enlighten  them.  But  if  we  don't  arouse  them  it  will  be  mighty 
serious. 

SENATOR  GUTHRIE :  One  of  the  important  questions  is  how  to  pro- 
tect what  we  already  have.  This  state  is  a  large,  rich  state,  most  of  which 
is  being  farmed.  As  Mr.  Deam  told  us  this  morning,  we  have  some  small 
areas  of  timber  and  we  want  to  know  how  to  protect  them.  We  still  use 
wood  for  ties  and  today  we  are  getting  about  six  times  the  amount  we 
got  for  the  first  ties  we  sold.  We  have  never  found  a  substitute  for  ties. 
In  our  state  the  scarcity  of  timber  is  getting  to  be  a  very  serious  question. 
I  think  that  we  should  protect  the  young  timber  in  some  way  and  show  the 
people  that  there  is  nothing  more  profitable  than  raising  timber,  if  it  is 
handled  in  the  right  way. 

MR.  SEOREST :  Colonel  Graves,  have  you  anything  in  mind  relative  to 
a  timber  census  of  the  entire  country? 

LT.-COL.  GRAVES:  I  proposed  to  have  an  economic  survey  of  the 
timber  resources  in  connection  with  the  present  census.  There  is  a  bill  at 
congress  now  setting  aside  one  hundred  thousand  dollars  for  a  survey  of 
materials.  Of  course  that  would  be  quite  inadequate. 

Senator  Guthrie,  why  wouldn't  it  be  possible  for  the  state  of  Indiana 
to  adopt  a  program  of  acquisition  of  forests  on  a  much  larger  scale  than 
heretofore  ? 

SENATOR  GUTHRIE  :    That  is  what  we  want  to  do. 

LT.-COL.  GRAVES :  I  feel  also  that  we  have  got  to  get  forestry  to  the 
agricultural  man.  I  judge  from  the  papers  given  this  morning  that  they 
haven't  appreciated  the  place  of  forestry  in  agriculture. 

Now  what  are  we  going  to  do  without  wood?  What  substitute  are 
we  going  to  use?  Metals?  I  don't  think  so  for  an  instant. 

THE  CHAIRMAN :  I  am  advised  that  it  is  necessary  that  we  adjourn 
so  they  can  get  this  room  ready  for  our  banquet  tonight.  Unless  there  is 
some  other  question  or  some  other  matters  which  ought  to  be  considered 
at  this  time,  I  will  entertain  a  motion  for  adjournment. 

ADJOURNMENT. 

WEDNESDAY   EVENING,    BANQUET    SESSION 

The  .meeting  was  called  to  order  at  8 :00  p.  m.,  with  Mr.  Walter  Crim, 
President  of  the  Indiana  Hardwood  Lumber  association,  presiding. 


44 

MR.  WALTER  CRIM :  Gentlemen  of  the  conservation  conference  and 
distinguished  guests,  we  are  certainly  very  glad  to  see  this  liberal  turn-out 
this  evening  in  honor  of  the  movement  inaugurated  by  Indiana,  Illinois 
and  Ohio  in  conserving  the  forests  of  our  states.  This  is  an  opportune 
time  to  start  a  movement  of  this  kind  and  as  usual,  Indiana  is  glad  to  be 
in  the  foreground  with  the  assistance  of  her  sister  states. 

I  don't  know  why  you  should  pick  a  lumberman  to  start  the  ball  rolling 
tonight.  But  I  am  glad  to  say  that  our  entire  Board  of  Directors  is  here 
in  a  body  attending  this  meeting.  No  movement  of  this  kind  is  successful 
without  a  good  ringmaster.  In  Indiana  we  have  had  many  orators  and 
writers  but  we  have  kept  the  best  at  home  and  I  am  very  glad  to  introduce 
the  Honorable  Charles  Bookwalter,  who  will  take  charge  of  this  meeting. 
(Applause) 

MR.  BOOKWALTER:  As  I  look  over  this  illustrious  and  dignified 
array  of  talent,  I  feel  that  this  limited  program  that  I  hold  here  in  my 
hand  somewhat  checks  the  possibilities  of  the  evening's  festivities  because 
as  the  majority  of  you  are  from  Indiana,  and  Hoosiers  being  orators,  it 
may  take  us  until  the  wee  small  hours  to  get  everything  said  that  we  want 
to  say. 

I  suppose  all  of  you  think  that  to  make  everything  fitting  and  proper,  we 
should  open  up  with  a  talk  by  the  Governor.  I  am  almost  in  bad  because 
I  insisted  that  he  should  make  a  few  remarks  and  he  insisted  that  he 
should  not  be  called  upon,  so  I  am  going  to  keep  faith  with  him.  But  I 
will  say  that  this  bland  gentleman  sitting  at  my  right  presides  over  the  des- 
tinies of  the  state  of  Indiana. 

The  toastmaster  is  not  expected  to  make  a  speech,  but  as  soon  as  I 
get  on  my  feet,  I  readily  fall  into  my  weakness  of  talking  too  much.  But 
I  am  not  going  to  do  that  tonight,  although  I  would  like  to  talk  about  your 
problems.  Some  of  my  kind  friends  tell  me  that  I  can  talk  more  at  length 
and  most  entertainingly  on  those  subjects  which  I  know  nothing  about. 
(Laughter)  I  am  sorry  to  confess  that  I  know  nothing  about  forestry 
except  what  I  have  learned  as  a  businessman  of  the  world. 

Indiana,  Illinois  and  Ohio  are  the  very  garden  spots  of  the  world.  But 
I  do  watch  these  things  as  I  pass  through  life  and  I  have  thought  of  these 
problems  and  I  have  read  about  them.  I  am  not  going  to  abuse  the  lumber- 
man. He  is  not  guilty  of  destruction  except  when  he  cuts  indiscriminately 
— he  only  cuts  what  the  necessities  of  man  compel  him  to  cut.  We  must 
reserve,  not  so  much  preserve,  but  we  must  replace  the  timber  that  we  are 
using  now. 

Yesterday  I  came  down  from  northern  Indiana.  I  had  gone  up  in 
Wabash  county  on  a  business  trip  and  as  we  were  driving  back  we 
passed  an  eighty-acre  woods.  It  was  just  as  God  had  planted  it — it  had 
never  been  cut  at  all  and  nothing  in  it  had  been  touched.  I  said  to  my 
friend,  Charlie  Greathouse,  who  was  with  me.  "Look  at  that ;  isn't  it  won- 
derful?" "Yes,"  he  said,  "that  is  a  remarkable  woods."  We  stopped  our 
car  and  sat  in  silence  just  looking  at  that  magnificent  picture. 

All  of  the  land  in  this  part  of  the  country  was  at  one  time  covered  with 
forests  just  like  the  one  that  we  stopped  to  look  at,  but  this  wonderful 
Country  has  been  stripped  bare.  We  must  not  continue  to  do  this  without 


45 

replacing  in  some  measure  the  trees  that  we  have  destroyed.  We  must 
think  of  the  future  of  this  country.  Man  is  naturally  a  destructive  animal. 
If  you  don't  believe  that,  just  keep  your  eyes  open.  So  this  sort  of  a  con- 
ferences comes  at  this  time  particularly  "pat"  for  the  people  of  Ohio, 
Illinois  and  Indiana. 

Now  I  am  going  to  present  the  first  gentleman  on  the  program.  Mr. 
Pack  is  unable  to  be  here  this  evening  and  Mr.  P.  S.  Ridsdale  is  to  fill  his 
place.  (Applause) 

MR.  P.  S.  RIDSDALE:  Mr.  Toastmaster  and  gentlemen,  Mr.  Pack,  who 
was  to  speak  to  you  this  evening,  is  ill  and  is  unable  to  be  here.  He  caught 
a  bad  cold  recently  and  his  physician  forbids  him  to  leave  his  home.  He 
has  asked  me  to  be  his  substitute  this  evening  and  so  I  would  like  to  read 
to  you  a  little  article  which  Mr.  Pack  had  planned  to  read. 

"I  do  not  believe  the  human  mind  can  devise  a  more  suitable  memorial 
to  Theodore  Roosevelt  than  a  movement  which  will  look  to  preserving  the 
forests  of  this  country.  Knowing  the  man,  as  it  was  my  privilege  to  know 
him,  I  am  positive  that  could  the  selection  of  a  memorial  be  left  to  his 
choosing  he  would  say  'save  the  forests.'  As  president  he  called  the  first 
conference  of  governors  which  took  up  the  great  questions  of  conserving 
our  natural  resources.  He  was  our  greatest  exponent  of  the  value  of  these 
resources  and  of  the  value  to  the  nation  of  outdoor  life. 

"You  foresters  can  do  a  great  work  in  directing  the  public  mind  to  these 
values.  You  must  take  the  public  into  your  confidence  and  the  way  to  do 
that  is  to  tell  your  story  to  the  editors  of  the  country  for  without  them  your 
progress  will  be  as  that  of  the  snail — you  may  get  there  some  day  but  with- 
out the  editors  I  firmly  believe  you  will  have  arrived  when  there  are  no 
forests  to  conserve.  Our  forests  are  like  a  bank  account;  they  cannot  be 
continually  drawn  upon  without  making  some  deposits. 

"If  you  expect  to  see  a  national  forest  policy  adopted  in  this  country 
you  have  to  show  the  people  the  necessity  for  it  as  they  are  the  ones  who 
pay  the  bills.  There  is  but  one  way  to  show  the  people  and  that  way  is 
through  the  editors.  The  editor  is  the  spark  that  stands  between  your  lever 
— the  forest  policy,  and  the  motor — its  adoption.  Show  your  editor  what 
a  forest  policy  means  and  where  our  forests,  one  of  our  great  natural  re- 
sources are  going,  your  motor  starts  and  your  battle  is  nine-tenths  won. 

"The  force  of  public  opinion  today  is  working  'on  high'  on  several  ques- 
tions. Turn  that  force  toward  a  national  forest  policy.  Show  your  editor 
what  a  national  forest  policy  will  do  and  the  wheels  will  begin  to  turn. 
Show  him  how  a  national  forest  policy  adopted  one  hundred  twenty-five 
years  ago  in  France  saved  her  and  civilization.  Show  him  how  the  forests 
of  France  held  back  the  Hun  from  Paris.  Show  him  the  figures  that  esti- 
mate last  year's  forest  fire  losses  to  be  $28,500,000.  Show  him  what  a 
national  forest  policy  means  to  his  paper  bill.  Show  him  that  the  net 
growth  of  timber  is  not  more  than  one-third  the  amount  which  is  being 
used  or  destroyed  every  year.  Show  the  editor  these  things  and  you  show 
the  world. 

"The  time  has  come  for  forestry  to  .be  taught  as  a  science  in  a  college, 
to  become  a  subject  for  popular  thought.  The  people  must  be  interested 
in  trees.  The  American  Forestry  association  is  conducting  a  campaign  for 


46 

a  national  forestry  policy  by  telling  the  people  how  vitally  necessary  it  is 
to  them.  It  is  also  conducting  a  campaign  for  memorial  tree  planting  and 
for  roads  of  remembrance  which  is  the  road  side  planting  of  trees  as  me- 
morials to  the  heroes  of  the  great  war.  I  hear  some  good  foresters  say  that 
it  is  not  forestry.  Before  you  can  become  initiated  into  the  mysteries  of 
where  the  milk  comes  from  you  must  first  get  acquainted  with  the  cow. 
Before  you  can  hope  to  enjoy  the  delights  of  Shakespeare  you  must 
first  give  some  thought  to  the  construction  of  the  English  language.  Be- 
fore the  producer  puts  on  a  play  he  spends  thousands  of  dollars  in  an 
endeavor  to  get  an  audience  for  that  play.  Before  you  foresters  can  ever 
hope  to  interest  the  public,  which  is  the  court  of  last  resort  in  this  country 
in  a  national  forest  policy,  you  have  got  to  interest  that  public  in  a  tree. 

"That  is  just  what  the  American  Forestry  association  is  doing.  The 
response  on  the  part  of  the  editors  has  been  magnificent  As  a  result  the 
people  are  planting  trees  as  never  before,  as  memorials  to  the  man  who 
gave  his  life  or  offered  his  life  to  his  country.  I  could  recite  here  hun- 
dreds of  places  where  trees  are  being  planted.  Roads  of  remembrance  are 
being  laid  out  and  memorial  groves  and  parks  being  planted.  Does  anyone 
doubt  that  those  people  will  listen  with  a  ready  ear  to  the  reasons  for  a 
national  forest  policy?  They  are  getting  acquainted  with  a  tree.  As  a  re- 
sult you  will  be  able  to  talk  trees  to  them. 

"If  the  people  of  the  United  States  want  to  erect  a  real  monument,  a 
lasting  memorial  for  all  time,  in  honor  of  Theodore  Roosevelt,  let  them 
mark  his  birthday  next  Monday,  October  27,  by  starting  to  work  in  earnest 
for  a  national  forest  policy.  You  can  celebrate  'the  coming  of  age,'  the 
twenty-first  anniversary  of  forestry  being  taught  in  a  college,  in  no  better 
way  than  by  taking  the  public  in  on  the  celebration. 

"You  gentlemen  are  the  ones  to  take  the  lead.  Some  of  you  represent 
forestry  and  some  of  you  the  lumber  industry.  Get  together  first  on  a 
fire  protection  policy.  Then  get  together  on  other  features  of  a  national 
forest  policy.  Let  me  quote  just  a  paragraph  from  the  opening  address  of 
Mr.  Roosevelt,  the  then  president,  to  the  congress  of  governors  in  1908.  I 
quote,  'Every  step  of  the  progress  of  mankind  is  marked  by  the  discovery 
and  use  of  natural  resources  previously  unused.  Without  such  progressive 
knowledge  and  utilization  of  natural  resources  population  could  not  grow, 
new  industries  multiply,  nor  the  hidden  wealth  of  the  earth  be  developed 
for  the  benefit  of  mankind.  We  want  to  take  action  that  will  prevent  the 
advent  of  a  woodless  age  and  defer  as  long  as  possible  the  advent  of  an 
ironless  age.'  Those  words  have  even  greater  weight  today,  since  a  world 
war  has  made  such  inroads  on  our  resources,  than  the  day  they  were  spoken. 
Call  your  findings  the  Roosevelt  Memorial  National  Forestry  Policy  if 
you  like  the  suggestion,  and  you  will  have  honored  the  man  who  did  so 
much  in  pointing  to  the  value  of  our  forests.  In  any  event,  you  will  have 
done  the  greatest  of  services  to  posterity— you  will  have  saved  our  greatest 
natural  resource  for  that  posterity."  (Applause) 

MR.  BOOKWALTER:  This  evening  just  prior  to  my  departure  from 
home  I  was  talking  to  the  members  of  my  family  about  this  particular 
occasion.  A  member  of  my  household  was  an  officer  in  the  late  world  war 
and  served  in  France.  He  said  to  me,"  Well,  Dad,  if  those  men  down  there 


47 

want  to  find  out  how  much  a  tree  is  valued,  tell  them  to  go  over  to  France." 
He  then  told  me  about  an  incident  which  happened  in  a  rest  camp  in 
which  his  battalion  was  placed.  They  were  constructing  a  retreat  when 
a  hard-boiled  old  sergeant  concluded  that  they  needed  a  tree  as  a  sort  of  a 
screen  and  began  poking  around  to  find  one.  He  finally  decided  on  a  young 
sapling  about  four  inches  in  diameter  and  promptly  cut  it  down.  A  hornet's 
nest  broke  loose  around  his  ears.  A  major  rushed  up  and  yelled,  "Who  cut 
that  tree?"  The  French  had  command  of  each  billeting  sector  so  a 
Frenchman  rushed  up  and  demanded  to  know  who  cut  that  tree.  Before 
they  got  through  with  that  sergeant,  my  son  said  that  he  was  afraid  the 
story  would  get  to  General  Pershing  himself.  Those  people  over  there 
no  longer  have  the  forests  that  we  still  possess.  Practically  all  of  their 
trees  were  planted  by  man  so  they  have  learned  to  value  them.  But  we 
go  on  and  waste  our  heritage  like  a  nation  of  drunken  sailors  and  when 
somebody  comes  around  with  a  suggestion  that  we  should  not  only  con- 
serve and  protect  that  which  we  possess,  but  map  out  a  policy  of  replace- 
ment, the  matter  is  treated  as  a  source  of  Jocularity. 

I  met  a  friend  of  mine  down  stairs  before  I  came  up  here  to  speak  to 
you  and  he  said :  "Well,  what  bunch  of  cranks  are  you  going  to  talk  to  this 
evening?"  People  of  this  day  consider  a  person  who  has  a  problem  a 
crank.  I  thank  God  that  you  men  are  here  to  work  out  ways  to  protect 
our  land  for  coming  generations.  It  is  necessary  to  cut  our  trees,  of  course, 
but  they  should  be  cut  only  as  our  needs  demand,  and  cut  wisely. 

I  am  not  going  to  make  a  speech,  I  am  just  going  to  present  Professor 
H.  H.  Chapman  of  Yale  Forest  School.  (Applause) 

PROF.  H.  H.  CHAPMAN :  When  I  was  asked  to  address  this  confer- 
ence, I  consented,  but  I  did  so  before  I  knew  I  would  have  to  present  my 
paper  at  a  banquet.  I  am  afraid  this  is  going  to  seem  very  dry  to  you  and 
I  think  another  subject  might  have  been  presented  with  much  better  grace 
at  this  time.  The  subject  of  forest  taxation  has  the  reputation  of  emptying 
the  hall  faster  than  any  other  subject.  (Laughter) 

From  the  time  when  the  possibility  of  handling  forest  lands  to  produce 
future  crops  of  timber,  instead  of  stripping  and  abandoning  them,  was 
first  discussed  in  this  country,  two  arguments  have  been  advanced  by  for- 
est owners  as  imposing  insuperable  obstacles  to  the  undertaking  of  for- 
estry; namely,  fire  and  taxes.  Lumbermen  in  Minnesota  and  elsewhere 
expressed  themselves  eager  to  maintain  their  forest  lands  in  growing  tim- 
ber, but  unfortunately  such  a  policy  required  investments  in  holding  land, 
young  timber,  etc.,  and  there  was  no  reasonable  chance  of  realizing  on 
this  investment  because  of  the  certainty  of  destruction  by  fire,  or  confisca- 
tion by  taxation.  Therefore  they  were  reluctantly  compelled  to  strip  the 
land  bare  and  let  it  burn. 

Foresters  met  this  challenge  by  undertaking  to  provide  fire  laws  and 
administration  and  the  time  is  approaching  when  the  risk  of  destruction 
by  fire  will  be  brought  under  reasonable  control— it  never  did  present  much 
of  a  problem  in  hardwood  regions  of  farm  woodlots. 

At  the  same  time  the  question  of  reform  in  forest  taxation  was  taken 
up,  but  here  very  great  obstacles  were  encountered  and  up  to  the  present 
time  no  general  solution  has  been  reached,  nor  are  there  any  laws  in  oper- 
ation which  have  become  generally  used  or  promise  to  meet  the  situation. 


48 

Yet  if  we  are  to  grow  forests  on  private  lands,  the  "risk"  of  confiscatory 
taxation  must  be  met  or  else  it  will  continue  to  be  cited  as  an  obstacle 
which  prevents  the  contemplation  of  forestry  by  land  owners,  much  as 
they  might  desire  to  practice  it. 

Is  the  present  system  of  taxation  an  obstacle  to  the  production  of  timber 
on  forest  lands?  Or  is  this  conception  a  convenient  myth,  to  color  a  failure 
to  put  these  lands  to  a  use  in  which  the  owners  have  no  interests  or  are 
deterred  by  other,  quite  different,  factors?  The  main  reason  why  lands 
are  not  devoted  to  growing  trees  are,  that  Americans  as  a  class  do  not  un- 
derstand the  business  of  forestry,  its  practice,  its  economic  advantages  or 
its  necessity  as  a  measure  of  general  property  and  public  economy,  and 
having  in  the  main,  destroyed  the  forest  capital  by  a  mistaken  policy  of 
clean  cutting,  are  loth  to  undertake  the  restoration  of  the  business  by  the 
time  consuming  process  of  tree  planting  and  growth — so  many  obstacles 
look  big  to  them,  and  taxation  becomes  a  serious  stumbling  block. 

Is  the  general  property  tax  a  burden  sufficient  to  prevent  or  discourage 
the  undertaking  of  growing  crops  of  timber?  This  is  a  very  different  prob- 
lem from  that  presented  by  the  annual  tax  on  timber  which  is  already 
mature  and  fit  to  cut.  Annual  taxes  on  standing  mature  timber  tend  to 
force  cutting.  But  mature  timber  ought  to  be  cut — if  held  for  long  periods, 
it  represents  an  economic  waste.  The  community  is  deprived  of  the  use  of 
wood,  incurs  a  loss  of  wages,  industries  dependent  on  wood  suffer,  and  a 
form  of  capital  which  represents  taxable  wealth  escapes  its  just  burden 
of  taxation.  This  is  especially  true,  since  virgin  timber  has  usually  cost  the 
owner  nothing  in  the  way  of  expense  for  production — it  is  not  an  artificially 
grown  crop — the  only  expense  is  fire  protection  which  is  a  form  of  insur- 
ance similar  to  that  placed  on  any  property,  and  taxes.  The  investment 
of  capital  in  mature  timber  is  often  for  speculative  purposes,  with  no 
thought  of  engaging  in  forest  production.  It  is  true  that  large  timber  op- 
erators often  find  it  necessary  in  order  to  insure  a  supply  of  raw  material, 
to  acquire  a  twenty  year  supply  of  timber,  the  taxes  on  which  may  prove 
a  large  item  of  expense.  When  this  supply  is  so  great  as  to  require  fifty 
years  to  remove  it,  the  holding  can  be  considered  largely  as  purely  specu- 
lative, and  not  needed  for  the  conduct  of  a  normal  operation,  and  it  is  not 
good  policy  to  relieve  speculators  of  a  just  burden  of  taxation  in  order  that 
they  may  realize  expected  profits  from  which  the  community  gains  no 
advantage.  The  tendency  of  taxation  to  force  the  cutting  of  timber  is  not 
in  itself  the  evil  to  be  met — this  problem  should  have  been  solved  in  quite 
another  way;  namely,  by  retaining  the  ownership  of  these  large  timber 
reserves  in  public  hands  as  was  done  with  the  national  forests. 

Another  reason  for  taxing  timber  is  that  the  growth  in  virgin  timber 
is  negligible,  being  offset  by  decay  and  other  natural  losses,  so  that  the 
productive  capacity  of  the  land  is  not  put  to  its  proper  use  but  is  stagnant. 

A  final  reason  for  continuing  to  tax  mature  timber  is  the  loss  in  public 
revenues  which  would  result  from  exempting  such  property  from  taxation, 
and  which  would  tend  to  defeat  any  effort  to  bring  about  such  an  exemption. 

The  arguments  of  owners  of  standing  timber;  namely,  that  taxation 
would  prevent  their  utilizing  the  land  after  cutting  to  produce  new  crops 
of  timber  is  not  an  argument  for  relief  from  proper  or  equitable  taxation 
of  timber  already  grown. 


49 

Is  there  then  still  a  problem  of  taxation  connected  with  timber?  There 
is.  The  admitted  fact  that  annual  taxes  on  standing  timber  hastens  the 
cutting  and  makes  holding  unprofitable,  tending  to  increase  the  cost  of 
lumber,  acts  with  equal  force  to  discourage  the  production  of  new  crops. 
Owners  and  operators  come  to  believe  that  if  taxes  on  standing  timber 
are  a  heavy  burden,  it  would  be  a  still  greater  burden  on  land  devoted 
to  forest  production,  when  extended  over  the  long  period  required  to  grow 
a  crop.  And  they  are  right. 

While  necessary  as  a  present  day  measure  of  revenue  production,  on 
timber  purchased  as  an  investment,  the  principle  of  taxing  property  values 
instead  of  income  creates  this  undue  burden  of  taxation  just  so  long  as  it 
is  impossible  to  realize  the  income  with  which  to  meet  this  tax.  This 
results  from  two  factors.  First,  the  total  tax  or  sum  of  taxes  paid  on 
such  non-productive  property  continually  increases  with  the  period  of 
holding  which  explains  the  difficulties  of  large  speculative  holdings. 
Second,  it  is  not  the  same  thing  to  pay  out  a  given  sum  at  the  time  the 
revenue  is  realized  from  this  property  and  to  pay  this  same  total  amount 
at  periods  anywhere  from  one  to  forty  years  in  advance  of  this  income.  In 
the  latter  case  mathematicians  compute  the  total  equity  at  compound 
interest  and  for  periods  of  twenty  years  or  more,  even  the  most  reason- 
able rates  of  interest  will  give  a  total  cost  of  from  three  to  ten  times  the 
actual  cash  outlay. 

These  facts  are  well  known  to  investors  and  while  the  purchaser  or 
owner  of  mature  timber  has  the  opportunity  or  choice  of  cutting,  no 
such  choice  is  presented  to  the  owner  of  land  and  growing  timber  who, 
in  order  to  get  revenue  would  have  to  go  out  of  business;  namely,  sell 
the  land  itself.  It  is  therefore  perfectly  fair  to  state  that  unless  a  differ- 
ent system  of  taxation  is  applied  in  the  future  to  property  represented  by 
growing  timber,  few  will  have  the  courage  to  attempt  the  undertaking  or 
to  cut  their  mature  timber  in  a  manner  so  as  to  secure  reproduction  by 
leaving  a  part  of  the  stand,  the  younger  trees,  as  an  investment  in  for- 
estry. 

Accepting  past  and  present  conditions  as  a  necessity,  does  not  mean 
that  we  can  ignore  future  conditions.  If  we  wish  to  continue  to  have 
timber  it  will  be  necessary  to  grow  it.  Nature  unaided  will  not  produce 
the  goods.  There  is  not  time  to  discuss  this  at  length,  but  the  statement 
is  based  on  wide  and  close  observation  of  the  conditions  in  which  cut-over 
land  is  left  after  logging  with  no  thought  for  the  future. 

It  is  therefore  the  absolute  duty  of  states  to  provide  a  different  and 
equitable  system  of  taxation  for  timber.  This  need  has  been  almost 
universally  recognized  and  nearly  every  eastern,  northern  and  prairie 
state  has  legislation  of  some  kind  intended  to  encourage  the  growing  and 
planting  of  trees.  Yet  up  to  this  time  not  one  of  these  laws  has  solved 
the  problem  nor  do  any  existing  laws  even  promise  to  accomplish  the 
needed  reform. 

Why  have  these  laws  failed  in  practice?  The  answer  in  every  case 
is  that  they  have  sought  to  create  special  conditions  or  exceptions  in  the 
nature  of  privileges,  to  such  owners  of  forest  lands  as  agree  to  carry 
out  special  measures ;  namely,  practice  forestry,  and  have  never  attempted 


50 

to  create  correct  conditions  applicable  to  all  timberland,  without  dis«rim- 
ination.  To  these  special  conditions  have  been  tied  numerous  special 
requirements  of  procedure,  or  red  tape,  often  accompanied  by  a  burden 
of  inspection,  penalties  for  failure  to  comply,  or  regulations  of  methods 
of  management.  The  cost  of  the  proposed  systems  to  the  owner  far  exceeds 
the  privileges  granted,  and  the  cost  of  administration  by  the  state  is  too 
large  in  proportion  to  the  benefit  derived. 

The  initial  mistake  was  to  grant  bounties,  tax  rebates,  tax  exemptions, 
or  low  fixed  valuation  of  forest  lands  as  a  reward  for  planting  or  growing 
trees.  The  reasons  for  failure  lie  in  the  general  system  of  assessment  of 
taxes.  Such  lands  seldom  form  more  than  a  small  portion  of  any  taxable 
unit.  Local  assessors  resent  such  exemptions,  and  nullify  their  effects 
by  adjusting  other  assessed  values  so  that  there  is  no  saving  to  the  owner, 
who  is  put  to  the  trouble  of  complying  with  additional  formalities  to 
secure  a  fictitious  gain.  The  general  underlying  principle  of  such  laws  is 
wrong,  for  if  we  are  seeking  to  correct  an  injustice  or  inequity  in  taxing 
timber,  all  such  property  is  equally  entitled  to  the  benefits  of  this  reform 
rather  than  to  attempt  to  set  up  an  elaborate  system  of  separating  sheep 
from  goats,  in  which  the  goats  being  numerically  superior  will  ultimately 
see  that  the  special  privileges  are  wiped  out. 

Private  property  is  not  usually  taxed  according  to  the  intention  of  the 
owner  as  to  its  future  use,  or  his  actual  method  of  handling  it,  but  solely 
on  the  basis  of  the  material  values  present.  Yet  every  law  for  forest  tax 
reform  has  disregarded  this  fundamental  fact,  probably  confusing  the  idea 
of  possible  public  benefits  with  that  of  public  ownership  and  use. 

This  error  has  created  insuperable  diflSculties  of  which  a  few  may  be 
cited : 

1.  The  effort  to  fix  and  reduce  the  assessed  value  of  forest  land  has 
required : 

(a)  Clssification  of  land. 

1'    on  basis  of  intention  of  owner  to  practice  forestry. 

2*    on  basis  of  suitability  of  the  land  for  forestry. 

3'    on  basis  of  the  value  of  the  land,  to  prevent  misuse  of  the 

law  by  speculators  to  avoid  taxation.     (This  factor  has 

caused  the  vetoing  of  some  such  laws.) 

(b)  It  has  at  the  same  time  threatened  to  so  reduce  local  revenues 

that  its  final  overthrow  would  follow  its  widespread  appli- 
cation.   It  is  self-defeating. 

2.  The  effort  to  require  the  practice  of  forestry  on  such  lands  as  a 
condition  of  receiving  this  privilege  has  required : 

(a)  The  parceling  of  holdings  into  separate  lots,  with  maps,  de- 

scriptions   and   legal   forms,    special   blanks,   listings    and 
assessments. 

(b)  The  compulsory  incurring  of  expense  for  planting  or  other 

measures,  not  required  of  other  forest  owners. 

(c)  Special  provisions  for  penalties  in  shape   of  back  taxes   on 

withdrawals  of  lands  from  the  special  class. 

(d)  Limitation  of  maximum  areas  to  receive  the  supposed  benefits 

of  tax  reform. 


51 

(e)  Special  contracts  to  cover  the  obligations  incurred  by  state  and 

owner. 

(f)  Cumbersome  procedure  in  accounting  and  in  payment  of  prod- 

ucts taxes. 

(g)  Cumbersome  efforts   to  distinguish  between  age  classes,  and 

land  bearing  mature  timber  versus  plantations,  which 
features  are  most  difficult  to  administer  as  part  of  a  tax 
system. 

(h)  Burdensome  requirements  on  state  forests  in  the  line  of  in- 
inspection  of  small  widely  scattered  tracts  to  see  that 
various  phases  of  the  law  relation  to  valuation,  practice 
and  products  tax,  are  carried  out,  for  which  if  the  law  were 
a  success,  these  officials  would  have  absolutely  no  time 
unless  the  staff  were  increased. 

These  laws  all  attempt  to  shift  the  burden  of  taxation,  either  to  other 
land  owners  or  as  in  Pennsylvania,  to  the  state  instead  of  trying  to  apply 
a  universal  tax  reform,  and  permitting  the  operation  of  this  reform  to 
effect  such  improvements  as  other  conditions  render  possible. 

What  we  need  is  a  plan  which  will  not  only  remove  the  inequality 
of  the  present  system,  but  which  will  remove  it  on  timber  as  a  class  of 
property  throughout  the  state,  namely,  for  all  owners  of  timber.  There 
are  three  requirements  of  such  a  law. 

1.  All  forest  economists  are  agreed  that  the  value  of  timber  should 
be  separated  from  that  of  land  for  purposes  of  taxation,  and  that  the 
timber  should,  if  possible,  be  taxed  in  the  form  of  a  products  tax  when  cut 
in  lieu  of  annual  taxes. 

2.  It  is  not  generally  agreed  that  local  revenue  from  taxation  should 
be  maintained,  and  the  products  tax  substituted  gradually. 

3.  It  is  not  so  universally  conceded,  but  I  believe  is  to  be  equally 
essential  that  virgin  timber  should  continue  to  bear  an  annual  property 
tax  and  that  the  reform  should  apply  to  future,  artificially  grown  timber. 

The  law  which  comes  nearest  to  satisfying  these  requirements  is  that  of 
Massachusetts.  This  in  turn  was  based  on  the  Connecticut  law. 

The  Connecticut  law  required  the  separate  valuation  of  standing,  mer- 
chantable timber  from  land— but  it  attempts  to  fix  the  value  of  land  for 
fifty  years  and  to  limit  the  tax  rate  to  ten  mills.  Then  to  avoid  specula- 
tion, it  limits  the  value  of  such  lands  to  twenty-five  dollars  per  acre. 
Standing  timber  is  taxed  annually  until  cut,  but  young  timber  will  pay 
only  a  products  tax. 

Massachusetts  was .  the  first  state  to  establish  the  principle  that  no 
effort  should  be  made  to  fix  or  lower  the  assessed  value  of  bare  timber, 
the  land  is  assessed  at  its  fair  value  as  bare  land  and  pays  annual  taxes. 
This  value  may  be  adjusted  when  changing  economic  conditions  make  it 
necessary.  This  brings  all  land  of  whatever  character,  value  or  location 
under  the  operation  of  the  law  provided  only  that  the  owner  desires  to 
take  advantage  of  it.  The  merits  of  this  universal  classification  are : 

1.    That  it  wipes  out  the  necessity  of  classifying  lands. 


52 

2.  That  it  insures  steady  and  continuous  local  revenues,  and  the  pos- 
sibility of  adjustments  of  values. 

3.  That  it  does  away  with  the  false  principle  of  special  privilege  in 
assessed  values  or  rates  of  taxation. 

The  abandonment  of  the  idea  of  limiting  the  power  of  assessors  to 
raise  land  values  is  a  hard  point  to  concede  for  advocates  of  forest  tax 
reform.  But  it  is  the  first  step  towards  any  lasting  progress,  and  must 
precede  the  educational  movement  which  will  be  needed  to  secure  equitable 
valuation  of  forest  land,  based  on  its  value  for  growing  timber.  If  assessors 
can  so  easily  defeat  the  purpose  of  special  privileges,  they  will  continue 
to  show  a  certain  amount  of  unfairness  in  valuing  lands  belonging  to 
different  owners,  but  it  will  be  much  easier  to  correct  these  inequalities 
when  all  owners  of  forest  land  are  equally  interested. 

The  second  distinct  gain  which  the  Massachusetts  law  presents  is  in 
its  plan  for  taxing  standing  timber.  In  effect  this  is  to  continue  the  annual 
tax  on  the  present  assessed  value  of  this  timber  until  it  is  cut  or  destroyed, 
but  to  arrange  for  the  substitution  of  a  products  tax  in  place  of  this  sys- 
tem, as  soon  as  possible. 

For  this  purpose,  after  the  original  separation  of  assessed  value  into 
land  and  timber,  the  value  of  the  timber  can  not  thereafter  be  increased. 
But  as  fast  as  the  timber  is  cut,  and  pays  a  products  tax,  this  assessment 
is  reduced.  The  basis  of  reduction  is  value,  not  quantity.  The  purpose  is, 
to  maintain  the  original  total  assessed  value  of  the  property,  land  and 
timber,  thus  maintaining  the  town  revenue  from  annual  taxes.  The  chief 
merit  in  the  law  is,  that  only  the  original  assessed  value  of  timber  pays 
this  annual  tax.  Growth  in  value,  or  growth  in  volume  is  not  so  taxed. 
Value  of  the  timber  cut  is  the  basis  of  wiping  out  this  value  of  standing 
timber.  So  that  if  any  such  increase  in  value  or  growth  occurs,  it  is  not 
necessary  to  cut  all  of  the  timber  in  order  to  do  away  for  the  future  with 
the  system  of  annual  taxes  on  the  timber. 

Since  all  increases  in  assessed  valuation  of  timber  are  prohibited,  the 
owner  of  timber  who  manages  it  to  secure  growth,  or  who  leaves  young 
trees  or  a  part  of  the  stand  for  forest  investments,  and  the  owner  of  land 
who  plants  it  or  of  immature  timber  who  protects  it,  is  assured  of  relief 
from  all  annual  taxes  on  standing  timber  for  the  future.  He  does  not 
pay  these  taxes  on  any  timber  except  the  present  value  of  his  present 
mature  stock,  on  which  as  we  have  seen  he  should  probably  pay  in 
any  case.  By  paying  on  this  value,  the  town  revenues  are  absolutely 
protected  for  the  present  and  near  future.  It  is  an  equitable  arrangement 
for  the  taxpayer  and  for  the  community. 

The  third  provision  of  the  Massachusetts  law  js  the  products  tax,  im- 
posed on  timber  at  the  tyne  of  cutting.  In  this  law  the  payment  of  this 
tax  is  the  means  of  securing  the  reduction  and  final  abatement  of  the 
annual  tax  on  standing  timber.  This  would  appear  to  threaten  double 
taxation.  But  in  effect,  this  danger  is  done  away  with  by  fixing  the  amount 
of  the  tax.  This  law  increases  the  tax  one  per  cent  by  five  year  periods 
up  to  a  maximum  of  six  per  cent,  on  the  value  of  the  timber  on  the  stump 
at  time  of  cutting. 

The  justification  of  imposing  a  products  tax  on  timber  wlach  has  been 


53 

paying  annual  taxes  lies  in  this — that  the  owner  has,  under  the  law  been 
protected  from  increased  assessed  value  on  his  standing  timber  and  can 
therefore  predict  what  his  taxes  on  this  timber  will  be,  and  that  actual 
increase  in  either  or  both  value,  and  volume,  is  sure  to  occur,  which  will 
not  be  taxed  annually. 

The  real  purpose  of  imposing  the  products  tax  is  to  substitute  this  tax 
eventually  for  that  on  standing  timber  and  to  avoid  the  impossible  condi- 
tion of  imposing  one  kind  of  tax  on  a  part  of  the  timber  cut  in  a  region,  and 
another  kind  on  the  remainder.  Young  timber  which  has  never  paid  an 
annual  tax  must  pay  a  products  tax  when  cut.  It  is  impossible  to  separate 
this  timber,  physically,  from  timber  which  has  borne  the  annual  tax. 
But  it  is  a  very  simple  thing  to  keep  account  of  the  original  assessed  value 
of  standing  timber  and  wipe  out  this  value  on  the  payment  of  products 
taxes  from  any  timber  grown  on  the  owner's  property.  When  this  process 
is  completed,  the  substitute  of  the  products  tax  for  annual  taxation  is  com- 
plete for  that  property. 

This  Massachusetts  law  failed  as  did  its  predecessors,  not  because  these 
principles  were  unsound,  but  because  it  still  retained  the  principles  of 
classification,  and  of  special  requirements  to  practice  forestry  by  stock- 
ing the  land  with  timber  together  with  the  need  for  special  listing  and 
records.  Less  than  fifty  owners  have  availed  themselves  of  it  in  five  years. 

If  we  can  accept  these  principles  as  established,  there  then  remains  one 
feature  to  make  a  practicable  law — universal  application  and  simplicity  of 
procedure — the  abandonment  of  special  classification  for  timber  as  well  as 
for  land  and  the  establishment  of  the  principle  of  taxing  as  such,  and  not 
taxing  the  owner's  intentions.  This  means  doing  away  with  the  imprac- 
tical features  of  the  law,  namely  the  special  classification  of  lands  and 
their  registration,  the  requirements  regarding  planting,  etc.,  and  inspection 
by  state  officials.  But  does  this  leave  any  forestry? 

The  answer  is  that  forestry  will  never  be  crammed  down  an  owner's 
throat  by  a  tax  law.  Given  a  square  deal  in  taxation,  the  owner  is  free 
to  choose  what  use  his  land  is  to  be  put  to,  and  the  handicap  against  for- 
estry is  removed.  This  should  be  the  purpose  of  the  law  rather  than  a 
thinly  disguised  attempt  to  cajole  occasional  individuals  into  placing  them- 
selves under  state  control. 

This  leaves  a  clear  field  for  educational  forces  in  forestry  or  even 
for  measures  of  necessary  regulation,  to  apply  to  all  alike. 

Can  a  law  be  framed  which  can  be  applied  to  all  land  owners  within 
a  reasonable  period?  I  believe  it  can  if  we  do  not  require  impossibilities. 
To  accomplish  this  we  must  depend  on  the  existing  local  machinery  and 
make  its  requirements  such  that  they  can  be  met  by  land  owners  and 
so  that  it  will  be  to  their  advantage  to  do  so.  The  plan  proposed  is  as 
follows : 

1.  Establish  by  law  the  principle  that  all  lands  when  reassessed  for 
taxation,  must  have  the  value  of  standing  timber  separated  from  that  of 
land. 

2.  Provide  that  the  value  of  standing  timber  when  so  determined,  shall 
not  at  any  time  thereafter  be  reassessed  or  increased. 

3.  That  the  value  of  land,  separate  from  tfcat  of  standing  timber  shall 


54 

be  that  of  similar  wild  or  unimproved  land  in  the  vicinity  and  that  the 
value  if  any,  of  immature  or  young  timber  shall  not  be  considered  in 
assessing  the  value  of  such  land,  but  that  land  bearing  such  young 
timber  shall  be  assessed  the  same  as  wild  unimproved  bare  land  of  similar 
quality. 

4.  That  at  any  time  within  five  years  of  passage  of  the  act,   any 
owner  of  land  bearing  mature  timber  may  declare  the  value  of  that  timber 
and  that  thereupon  the  proper  officials  shall  separate  the  assessed  value  of 
the  property  belonging  to  the  said  owner,  into  two  parts,  the  sum  of  which 
shall  equal  the  former  assessed  value  of  the  property.     The  value  of  the 
timber  shall  be  entered  in  a  separate  record  for  purposes  of  future  taxation, 
and  shall  be  assessed  annually  at  current  rates  but  shall  not  thereafter 
be  reassessed  or  increased.    The  remaining  value  shall  be  the  assessed  value 
of  land  and  other  property,  and  shall  be  assessed  as  before,  so  that  the 
sum  of  assessed  values  shall  remain  the  same  as  the  total  property  as  if  the 
separation  had  not  been  made,  for  a  guaranteed  period  of  at  least  three 
years. 

5.  That  in  consideration  of  declaration  of  value  of  timber,  there  shall 
be  no  revaluation  of  the  land  for  a  period  of  three  years  thereafter,  and 
that  in  consideration  of  the  fact  that  whatever  valuation  is  placed  by  the 
owner  on  the  timber  the  owner  thus  fixes  the  residual  value  of  the  land 
for  taxation,  and  that  the  total  value  of  the  property  is  neither  increased 
nor  decreased,  the  assessors  shall  accept  without  review  the  value  of  said 
timber  and  not  increase  the  same,  since  such  action  would  either  decrease 
the  assessed  value  of  the  land  or  increase  the  value  of  the  total  property 
before  the  end  of  the  period  of  three  years  agreed  upon. 

6.  That  at  the  expiration  of  three  years  from  date  of  declaring  the 
value  of  the  timber,  or  at  any  time  thereafter,  the  value  of  the  land  may 
be  reassessed  but  that  said  assessed  value  shall  not  include  the  value  of 
any  timber  whatever,  young  or  mature,  and  shall  not  exceed  the  value  of 
the  wild  or  unimproved  lands  of  similar  character  in  the  vicinity. 

7.  That  in  the  absence  of  a  declaration  of  value  of  timber  within  the 
period  of  five  years,  the  value  of  the  property  shall  be  assumed  to  be  that 
of  land  bearing  no  timber  of  taxable  value,  until  reassessed.     But  that 
before  reassessing  any  land  on  which  no  timber  values  have  been  previously 
declared,  the  assessors  shall  ascertain  whether  there  be  any  timber  values 
on  said  land,  and  shall  in  every  case,  separate  said  value  for  purposes  of 
taxation. 

8.  That  from  date  of  passage  of  law,  a  products  tax  shall  be  assessed 
upon  the  stumpage  value  of  all  timber  cut  from  the  land  except  such  timber 
products  as  are  used  on  the  land  belonging  to  and  assessed  against  the 
same  owner  or  by  the  owner  in  the  same  town,  for  domestic  use  or  improve- 
ments having  a  taxable  value.    That  this  tax  shall  be  one  per  cent,  of  the 
said  value  for  the  first  ten  years  following  the  passage  of  act,  and  shall 
increase  one  per  cent,  for  each  succeeding  decade  up  to  a  maximum  of  six 
per  cent,  provided  that  nothing  in  this  section  shall  prevent  the  payment 
of  a  products  tax  on  said  exempted  products  for  the  purpose  of  obtaining  a 
reduction  of  assessed  valuation  on  said  standing  timber. 

9.  That  the  value  of  any  timber  stumpage  which  has  been  declared  by 


55 

owner  before  the  products  tax  was  paid,  or  which  has  been  fixed  by 
assessors,  in  absence  of  said  declaration  by  owner  shall  be  reduced  for 
purposes  of  future  annual  taxation  by  the  amount  of  the  value  of  stumpage 
upon  which  said  tax  is  paid,  provided,  that  said  value  of  stumpage  upon 
which  said  tax  is  paid  must  have  reached  a  total  of  at  least  five  per  cent 
of  the  original  listed  value  of  timber  taxable  in  any  one  town  assessed 
against  said  owner,  before  said  reduction  in  assessed  value  becomes  oper- 
ative, and  provided,  that  when  the  value  of  said  stumpage  upon  which  the 
tax  has  been  paid  shall  have  equalled  the  original  declared  or  assessed 
value  of  the  timber  listed  by  the  owner,  said  annual  taxes  shall  cease  and 
thereafter  any  timber  standing  or  growing  upon  said  lands  shall  be  relieved 
of  annual  taxes  and  shall  pay  only  the  stumpage  tax  on  the  products  when 
cut. 

10.  That  an  account  shall  be  opened  with  each  owner  of  land  having 
standing  timber  whose  value  has  been  assessed  for  taxation,  on  which 
shall  be  entered,  the  assessed  value  of  standing  timber,  the  value  of  the 
stumpage  upon  which  a  products  tax  is  paid,  and  the  rate  and  amount  of 
the  tax.  Whenever  said  value  shall  equal  five  per  cent,  of  the  assessed 
value  of  the  timber,  a  reduction  shall  be  made  in  said  assessed  value  equal 
to  value  upon  which  tax  has  been  paid,  and  the  annual  taxes  shall  there- 
after be  assessed  against  said  reduced  value. 

The  purpose  of  these  provisions  is  self-evident.  They  are  to  secure  a 
complete  or  universal  adoption  of  the  law  within  a  reasonable  time  and 
with  minimum  cost  and  effort  and  least  injustice. 

It  is  made  an  object  to  timber  owners  to  list  the  timber  values,  as  by 
doing  so  they  secure  a  fixed  value  on  this  portion  of  their  property  and 
protection  from  increase  in  total  assessment  for  three  years ;  namely,  from 
any  action  on  part  of  assessors  to  nullify  the  effect  of  listing  timber  values 
by  simply  adding  said  values  to  value  of  the  property.  They  also  secure 
a  definite  procedure  by  which  said  values  can  be  extinguished  by  payment 
of  products  tax.  It  is  to  their  interest  to  declare  full  values,  since  this  is 
bare  land  on  which  taxes  will  be  continued.  Failure  to  declare  any  value 
permits  and  justifies  the  continuation  of  correspondingly  high  values  on 
the  only  portion  of  their  assessed  value  which  can  subsequently  be  so  ex- 
tinguished. Failure  to  declare  value,  or  declaration  of  too  low  a  value 
permits  the  assessors  to  determine  new  value  at  any  future  time,  both  for 
land  and  timber,  while  declaration  of  timber  values  confines  them  to  re- 
valuation of  the  land  without  timber,  on  the  assumption  that  existing 
values  having  been  the  basis  of  taxation  when  the  law  was  passed,  shall 
equitably  remain  the  basis  of  taxation  of  the  timber. 

The  public  interests  on  the  other  hand,  as  represented  by  the  assessors, 
are  thoroughly  protected.  The  total  assessed  value  is  in  no  case  reduced. 
After  three  years,  the  value  of  the  land  can,  if  equitable,  be  reassessed, 
and  within  the  requirements  of  the  statute,  be  further  adjusted.  The  loss 
of  annual  taxes  does  not  occur  unless  timber  is  cut,  when  they  should  in 
any  case  cease,  and  the  increasing  value  of  young  timber  and  old  stands 
is  taxed  by  a  products  tax. 

Failure  to  declare  and  pay  the  products  tax  on  old  timber  carries  its 
own  punishment  in  that  the  timber  although  cut,  will  continue  to  be  as- 


56 

sessed  and  taxed  annually.  By  the  time  the  products  tax  on  young  timber 
assumes  large  proportions,  the  machinery  for  securing  its  collection  would 
be  in  good  working  order. 

Owners  of  wild,  unimproved  or  cut-over  lands,  under  this  system,  will 
pay  on  the  same  assessed  valuation  as  those  who  have  left  seed  trees,  young 
timber  and  have  planted  or  secured  natural  reproduction.  Although  the 
latter  property  will  constantly  increase  in  value  as  the  result  of  forestry, 
there  will  be  no  increase  in  taxation  which  is  not  imposed  equally  upon 
unimproved  wild  lands.  Yet  these  forested  lands  will  eventually  bring 
in  the  additional  revenue  of  products  taxes,  besides  furnishing  employment 
and  raw  material  for  the  wood-using  industries. 

Unless  the  public  is  willing  to  agree  in  advance  to  such  a  plan  of  tax- 
ation for  timber,  no  such  inducement  or  guarantee  is  offered  for  proper 
management,  instead  the  owner  of  young  timber  maybe  certain  that  the 
assessor  will  raise  the  value  of  such  lands  because  of  his  industry,  long 
before  the  trees  can  be  cut,  and  by  the  time  he  can  sell  his  crop,  taxes 
and  interest  will  have  absorbed  far  too  great  a  part  of  his  expected  income. 

If  there  is  anything  unequitable  in  this  universal  but  gradual  substi- 
tution of  a  products  tax  for  the  present  property  tax  on  standing  timber  it 
does  not  appear  on  the  surface. 

I  promised  you  this  would  be  a  dry  subject  and  now  you  see  that  I  was 
right.  (Applause) 

MR.  BOOKWALTER:  I  now  take  pleasure  in  presenting  to  you  Mr. 
Wilson  Compton,  who  is  secretary-manager  of  the  National  Lumber  Man- 
ufacturers' Association.  His  subject  is  the  "Economic  Aspect  of  State 
Forests."  (Applause) 

MR.  WILSON  COMPTON :  Mr.  Toastmaster,  and  ladies  and  gentlemen 
of  the  Tri- State  Forestry  Conference. 

Governor  Lowden,  in  his  recent  statement  that  the  chief  need,  not  only 
of  this  country,  but  of  the  whole  world  is  "economic  equilibrium"  has 
furnished  a  slogan  which  is  peculiarly  pertinent  to  the  public  problem 
with  which  three  great  states,  in  this  conference,  are  grappling.  Equi- 
librium implies  a  balancing  of  opposing  forces.  In  the  world  at  large  this 
economic  balance  will  be  accomplished  only  through  a  general  increase  in 
the  production  of  useful  commodities  and  by  a  readjustment  of  consumption 
whereby  there  shall  be  more  of  the  necessaries  and  fewer  of  the  luxuries, 
until  normal  human  activities  throughout  the  world  shall  have  been  re- 
established. 

The  supply  of  useful. commodities  must  be  made  more  adequate  to  meet 
the  demand  for  them  upon  such  terms  as  will  enable  all  persons  who 
will  work,  to  have  a  fair  share  of  the  fruits  of  their  labor.  A  condition  of 
production  and  distribution,  entirely  out  of  normal  equilibrium,  is  primarily 
responsible  for  the  prominent  place  in  the  news  of  the  day  which  is  oc- 
cupied by  the  activities  of  misguided  men,  who,  by  only  a  wave  of  the 
hand  would  accomplish  a  social  state  which  the  experience  of  the  human 
race  has  indicated  can  be  accomplished  only  through  centuries  of  gradual 
evolution  and  development. 

The  forests  have  had  a  large  share  in  the  world's  industrial  activity, 
and  will  in  the  future  contribute  largely  to  the  accomplishment  of  economic 


57 

equilibrium.  The  effort  of  the  states  of  Ohio,  Indiana  and  Illinois  to 
establish  a  plan  for  their  forest  lands,  consistent  with  the  larger  needs  of 
the  nation  is  a  timely  one.  It  is  appropriate  that  search  be  made  for  the 
basic  principles  which  must  underlie  such  plan  if  it  is  to  have  promise  of 
permanence.  For  pride  or  sentiment  or  opinion  should  not,  and  in  the 
long  run,  will  not  prevail  against  fact,  or  against  the  fundamental  economic 
laws  upon  which  industry  and  commerce  have  been  built,  the  world  over. 
Abundance  and  variety  of  natural  resources  have  constituted,  perhaps, 
this  nation's  strongest  claim  to  industrial  and  commercial  prosperity. 
Waste  is  national  folly.  Conservation  is  a  guarantee  of  national  life. 

About  half  a  century  ago  the  congress  of  the  United  States  became 
much  exercised  over  the  alarming  prospect  for  the  nation's  timber  supply  . 
which  was  then  said  to  exist,  a  prospect  which  would  within  forty  years, 
it  was  stated,  leave  the  United  States  bare  of  its  great  forests.  For  some 
years  thereafter  senators  and  congressmen  endeavored  to  save  the  forests 
by  making  speeches  about  conservation.  Then  a  Division  of  Forestry  was 
operated  to  find  out  what  was  becoming  of  the  trees.  Today  its  powerful 
successor,  the  United  States  Forest  Service,  is  itself  the  administrator  of 
more  timber  in  the  national  forests  than  congressmen  fifty  years  ago 
thought  there  was  at  that  time  in  the  whole  of  the  United  States.  But 
the  spectre  of  the  "timber  famine"  still  stalks. 

Essentials  of  a  State  Forest  Policy.  The  forests,  in  addition  to  provid- 
ing raw  material  for  the  manufacture  of  lumber  and  other  commodities 
of  almost  universal  use,  have  a  more  or  less  remote  relation  (a)  to  the 
control  of  water  flow;  (b)  to  soil  fertility;  (c)  to  the  pleasure  and  recrea- 
tion of  the  people;  and  even,  it  is  often  asserted,  (d)  to  climatic  conditions 
and  the  public  health.  The  chief  concern  of  forest  conservation  is,  however, 
the  adequate  future  supply  of  those  useful  commodities  which  are  secured 
through  the  industrial  uses  of  the  standing  timber,  especially  through  man- 
ufacture into  lumber.  A  determination  of  the  economic  position  which 
state  forests  occupy  in  a  consistent  plan  for  the  forests  of  the  nation 
as  a  whole,  would  involve  the  answer  in  the  light  of  all  the  complex  condi- 
tions in  American  industrial  life,  to  the  following  four  questions : 
First,  how  much  standing  timber  is  needed  in  the  United  States? 
Second,  what  species  of  timber  should  be  replaced  and  perpetuated  in 
the  forests  of  this  country? 

Third,  how,  geographically,  should  these  forests  be  distributed? 
Fourth,  who  should  grow  and  own  the  forests? 

Quantity,  quality,  location  and  ownership!  These  are  the  essential, 
questions  which  confront  Ohio,  Indiana  and  Illinois,  and  indeed  all  other 
states,  in  their  effort  adequately  to  meet  the  needs  of  their  people  for  the 
products  of  the  forest. 

How  Much  T'lmber  Is  Needed?  The  permanent  needs  for  standing  tim- 
ber cannot  of  course  be  ascertained  with  mathematical  precision.  The 
future  is  inscrutable.  The  public  requirement  for  lumber  and  for  other 
forest  products  cannot  be  determined  separate  from  the  supply  of  other 
materials  having  substantially  similar  uses.  An  accurate  determination 
of  probable  future  forest  needs  would  require  a  nation-wide  survey  of  the 
whole  arena  of  industry  and  of  the  supply  of  all  the  materials  which  may 


58 

be  substituted  for  wood.  But  such  a  determination  would  itself  be  only 
provisional.  Lacking  even  this  information  perhaps  the  most  trustworthy 
evidence  is  to  be  found  in  the  experience  of  other  nations  at  the  same  rela- 
tive stage  in  industrial  development  as  we  are  now  experiencing  in  the 
United  States. 

It  is  undeniable  that  this  country  is  today,  and  heretofore  always  has 
been,  using  up  its  forests  more  rapidly  than  they  have  been  replaced  by 
regrowth.  When  timber  was  plentiful  and  cheap,  and  industrial  devel- 
opment in  comparative  infancy,  wood  was  of  course,  freely  used.  In  many 
parts  of  the  United  States  before  the  war  the  average  annual  consump- 
tion per  person  of  lumber  and  wood  products,  not  including  firewood,  was 
equivalent  to  more  than  two  thousand  five  hundred  board  feet.  In  the 
state  of  Montana  an  agricultural  and  mining  community  it  was  about  one 
thousand  two  hundred  fifty  feet;  in  Oregon,  seven  hundred  twenty  feet; 
but  in  Pennsylvania  and  New  York,  industrial  states,  only  three  hundred 
feet  and  two  hundred  feet  respectively.  In  the  United  States  as  a  whole 
the  consumption  of  lumber  per  person  is  now  approximately  three  hundred 
twenty  feet,  as  against  more  than  five  hundred  feet  less  than  fifteen 
years  ago  and  one  hundred  feet  in  England,  ninety  feet  in  France  and  one 
hundred  fifty  feet  in  Germany  immediately  prior  to  the  outbreak  of  the  war. 

Industrial  evolution  has,  in  the  history  of  nations,  been  accompanied 
by  a  decline  in  the  wood-using  customs  of  the  people.  While  Americans 
will,  of  course,  desire  for  this  nation,  always  a  larger  inheritance  of  na- 
tional resources  than  other  less  favored  peoples  have  possessed,  it  is  likely 
that  the  same  drama  of  changing  lumber  requirements  will  be  enacted  here. 
It  is  improbable  that  the  annual  production  of  lumber  in  this  country  will 
for  any  substantial  period,  if  ever  again,  exceed  forty  billion  feet.  Last 
year  it  was  less  than  thirty-two  billion  feet.  Ten  years  ago  it  was  forty- 
five  billion  feet.  Increases  in  population  will  probably  be  offset  by  recip- 
rocal changes  in  the  wood-using  customs  of  the  people. 

Exports  of  lumber  are  not  likely  to  absorb  the  volume  of  timber  which 
many  glittering  reports  from  abroad  may  have  indicated.  The  export 
trade  will  undoubtedly  increase — and  it  should.  But  the  nations  in  the 
greatest  need  of  materials  for  construction  are  so  thoroughly  committed, 
through  tradition  and  sentiment,  to  the  use  of  other  materials  such  as 
brick  and  tile  and  stone,  that  the  predicted  avalanche  of  demand  for 
American  lumber  is  in  doubt. 

Were  a  permanent  forestation  enterprise  established  in  this  country 
on  the  basis,  for  example,  of  the  system  used  successfully  in  Sweden,  on 
a  one  hundred  year  period  of  rotation,  a  supply  of  merchantable  standing 
timber  of  two  trillion  feet  with  a  proper  distribution  of  age  classes,  would 
probably  be  adequate  reasonably  to  meet  the  needs  which  may  be  fore- 
casted. We  have  today  according  to  present  standards  of  estimate,  nearly 
three  trillion  feet  of  merchantable  timber  most  of  which  is  relatively  ma- 
ture. Roughly  speaking  therefore  there  is  a  "slack"  of  nearly  one  trillion 
feet.  Supplemented  by  probable  new  growth  of  not  less  than  three-quarters 
of  a  trillion  more,  this  supply  should  last  approximately  fifty  years.  Dur- 
ing this  period  provision  will  have  been  made  for  making  the  remaining 
two  trillion  or  its  equivalent,  self -perpetuating,  or  else  "timber  shortage" 


69 

will  have  ceased  to  be  a  threat  and  will  have  become  an  accomplished  fact. 

So  much  then  for  the  quantity  of  standing  saw  timber  permanently 
needed  in  this  country — approximately  two  trillion  feet  of  distributed  age 
classes,  and  about  half  a  century  to  accomplish  the  proper  distribution. 

Even  with  the  additional  provision  appropriate  for  woodlots  and  other 
acreage  furnishing  fire-wood,  posts,  poles,  and  miscellaneous  wood  products, 
it  is  apparent  that,  in  this  country  as  a  whole,  there  is  enough  mountainous, 
rough  and  waste  land,  wholly  profitless  for  agriculture  but  suitable  for 
forestation,  to  supply  its  permanent  timber  needs.  Fortunately  therefore  an 
adequate  forest  policy  need  not,  at  any  point,  conflict  with  an  equally  wise 
national  policy  for  agricultural  and  general  industrial  development. 

What  Species  of  Timber  Should  Be  Perpetuated  in  the  Forests  of  the 
United  States?  But  in  the  definition  of  forest  policy,  the  determination  of 
necessary  quantity  of  timber  is  not  enough.  Of  equal  importance  is  the 
selection  of  species  and  quality. 

If  nature,  unaided  and  undisturbed,  were  to  be  the  universal  regulator 
of  all  economic  and  industrial  processes,  then  doubtless,  in  the  long  course 
of  time,  most  if  not  all  of  the  species  in  the  original  timber  stands  would 
be  replaced  by  natural  re-growth.  There  have  been  more  than  one  hundred 
different  species  of  American  woods  having  substantial  commercial  uses 
and  nature  if  given  a  fair  chance,  would  in  time  replace  nearly  all  of  them. 
Northern  Ohio  and  Indiana  would  have  some  softwoods ;  the  Miami  Valley 
would  have  fine  walnut;  the  southern  counties  at  the  big  bend  in  the 
river  would  have  big  sycamores.  Ohio,  Indiana  and  Illinois  would  all  have 
great  forests  of  oak,  elm,  ash,  hickory  and  a  generous  mixture  of  scores 
of  other  species  native  to  their  soil. 

But  is  that  what  we  want  when  we  plan  a  permanent  forest  policy? 
Is  it  necessarily  true,  because  gum  trees  are  native  to  Ohio  soil,  that  the 
replacement  of  gum  should  be  encouraged?  Or,  because  woodworking  in- 
dustries established  in  the  state  have  been  using  hickory,  that  forests  of 
hickory  should  be  replaced  in  Indiana? 

Conceivably  might  it  not  perhaps  be  wiser  and  more  profitable  for  those 
in  Ohio  who  want  gum  to  get  it  from  Arkansas  and  Tennessee  where  it 
grows  to  better  quality?  And  for  those  wood-using  industries  of  Indiana 
which  have  been  accustomed  to  use  hickory,  to  learn  to  use,  if  possible, 
ash,  or  elm,  or  other  species  of  more  rapid  growth  but  having  appropriate 
physical  properties. 

These  are  only  illustrative  of  an  important  principle,  namely,  that 
within  substantial  limits,  the  peculiar  industrial  advantage  of  using  a 
given  species  of  wood  may  be  outweighed  by  the  advantage  of  using  a 
species  of  timber  that  can  be  regrown  more  quickly  and  at  lower  cost. 

For  commercial  purposes  it  is  well  known  many  species  are  readily 
interchangeable.  Practically  the  same  useful  things  that  have  heretofore 
been  made  from  more  than  one  hundred  commercial  species  of  hard  and 
softwoods  may  be  made  from  ten  different  species  wisely  selected.  Where 
there  is  substantial  similarity  in  physical  qualities  and  virtual  equality  of 
fitness  for  given  industrial  uses,  those  species  should  be  perpetuated  which 
can  be  grown  to  commercially  useful  size  in  the  shortest  time  at  the  lowest 
cost.  The  entire  elimination  from  the  forests  of  Ohio,  Indiana  and  Illinois 


(50 

of  many  of  their  native  species,  provided  adequate  substitutes  were  pre- 
served, would  therefore  involve  no  necessary  impairment  of  the  welfare  of 
their  industries  or  of  their  people. 

In  the  administration  of  the  permanent  plan  of  forestation  there  should 
be  interference  with  nature  sufficient  at  least  to  secure  the  perpetuation 
of  the  species  which  are  economically  the  most  useful  and  to  secure  the 
elimination  from  the  commercial  forests  of  other  species  less  useful  and 
more  expensive  to  reproduce.  Perhaps  we  have  not  always  given  adequate 
consideration  to  this  principle  of  selection  of  species  in  the  effort  to  pro- 
vide a  permanent  future  supply  of  timber  for  the  wood-using  industries  of 
these  states. 

.How  Geographically,  Should  the  Forests  Be  Distributed,?  The  third 
great  factor  in  the  determination  of  the  economic  position  of  state  forests  is 
their  geographical  distribution.  If  it  may  be  assumed  that  the  lumber 
requirements  of  the  nation  will  be  adequately  met  by  a  volume  of  growing 
forests,  with  properly  distributed  age  classes,  sufficient  to  yield  during  an 
estimated  average  one  hundred  year  period  of  rotation  a  total  of  four 
trillion  feet;  and  assuming  that  the  forest  lands  on  the  average  for  both 
softwood  and  hardwood  will  yield  ten  thousand  feet  of  mature  timber  per 
acre,  not  more  than  four  hundred  million  acres  under  permanent  foresta- 
tion will  be  required.  This  is  about  one-fifth  of  the  land  area  of  the  United 
States  and  is  approximately  twice  the  area  of  the  present  public  forests, 
national,  state  and  municipal. 

Less  than  one-fourth  of  the  total  land  area  of  the  United  States  is  now 
in  improved  farms.  About  one-fifth  more  is  attached  to  farms  but  is  un- 
improved. Nearly  one-fifth  is  at  present  arid  waste  land  useful  for  neither 
agriculture  nor  forestation,  much  of  it  capable  of  reclamation  by  irrigation. 
There  is  available,  therefore,  land  sufficient  to  support  a  great  expansion 
in  agricultural  activity  and  to  provide  fully  for  future  forest  supplies. 

The  softwood  forests  will  probably  be  located  in  the  mountain  regions 
of  the  west,  east,  and  south,  the  sand  plains  of  the  lake  states  and  the  low- 
lands along  many  parts  of  the  Atlantic  and  Gulf  coasts.  The  hardwoods 
will  perhaps  be  confined  largely  to  the  southern  Appalachians,  rough 
country  along  the  Ohio  river,  the  middle  and  lower  Mississippi  and  their 
tributaries,  to  some  of  the  uplands  of  the  lake  states  and  to  the  farm 
woodlots  which  are  characteristic  of  the  agricultural  enterprises  in  the 
central  states  and  the  middle  west. 

Forest  policies  by  states  individually  or  by  groups  are  formulated  under 
a  substantial  handicap  because  of  their  lack  of  control  over  the  policies 
and  activities  of  other  states.  No  single  state  can  intelligently  determine 
how  large  its  focests  should  be,  what  kinds  of  timber  they  should  contain, 
and  on  what  lands  they  should  be  located  without  giving  consideration  to 
the  policies  of  neighboring  states  and  of  the  nation  at  large.  The  products 
of  the  forests  are  sold  in  interstate  commerce  which  ignores  all  state 
boundaries.  A  centralized  control  over  the  forestry  activities  of  all  the 
states  would  make  practicable  a  national  forest  policy  that  would  secure 
the  most  efficient  possible  adaptation  of  the  quantity,  quality  and  location 
of  the  forests  to  the  needs  of  the  industries  for  which  they  must  continue 
to  provide  the  raw  material.  If  state  lines  do  not  determine  the  markets 


for  the  finished  product  or  the  channels  through  which  they  may  be 
sold,  neither  should  they  determine  the  character,  or  the  distribution  of 
the  raw  material — the  forests  themselves. 

This  local  handicap  to  state  forest  policies  is  important  but  it  is  not 
decisive.  Each  state  individually  may,  in  the  formation  of  its  plan,  as 
you  yourselves  are  doing  here,  recognize  the  need  not  only  of  an  under- 
standing with  its  neighbors,  but  also  of  co-ordination  with  the  larger  plan 
for  the  forests  of  the  nation  as  a  whole  through  a  powerful  federal  agency, 
such  as  the  Forest  Service. 

Who  Should  Grow  Forests?  Finally  arises  the  question:  Who  should 
grow  and  own  forests?  Considerably  less  than  two  million  acres  of  forest 
lands  is  today  publicly  owned,  and  some  of  that  is  not  in  timber.  Prob- 
ably more  than  two  million  additional  acres  now  in  private  holding  will 
be  required  as  a  permanent  source  of  timber  supply  to  the  nation.  May 
private  enterprise  be  counted  upon  to  provide  this  raw  material  for  the 
distant  future  use  of  American  industries?  I  do  not  think  so.  Men  who 
have  bought  timber  and  built  saw  mills  are  foresters  and  interested  in  a 
business  way  in  the  perpetuation  of  the  forests  only  in  the  same  sense  and 
to  the  same  degree  that  coal  operators  are  geologists  and  interested  in  the 
perpetuation  of  the  coal  supply.  The  business  of  the  lumber  manufacturer 
is  to  make  boards  out  of  the  trees  which  he  already  owns,  not  to  make  more 
trees  out  of  which  some  one  else  some  day  may  make  more  boards. 

By  fortuitous  circumstances  he  is  usually  an  owner  of  cut-over  land. 
This  land  may  be  the  most  useful  for  permanent  forestation,  but  the  owner- 
ship of  such  land  does  not  put  the  owner  under  obligation  to  engage  in  a 
reforestation  enterprise  unless  he  elects  to  do  so.  He  will  not,  and  he 
should  not,  in  the  public  interest,  choose  to  reforest  his  lands  unless  to  do  so 
would  be  a  profitable  enterprise.  Even  effort,  misguided  though  it  is,  to 
compel  through  legislation,  reforestation  of  private  logged-off  lands,  such 
as  has  been  not  infrequently  proposed,  will  not  avail  against  the  economic 
laws  which  direct  everywhere  men's  industrial  activities.  Such  legislation 
would  secure,  throughout  the  country  at  large,  not  a  replacement  of  the 
forests  through  private  enterprise  but  instead  a  wide-spread  reversion  to 
the  state  of  the  private  lands  thus  designated  for  reforestation.  Legisla- 
tion making  private  forestry  compulsory,  irrespective  of  its  profitableness 
or  its  prospect  of  profit  would  produce  therefore  not  trees,  but  substantially 
the  confiscation  of  the  land  upon  which  it  was  intended  that  the  trees 
should  grow.  But  a  "forest  policy"  that  does  not  produce  forests  is  not  a 
forest  policy. 

Private  enterprise  is  notably  not  suited  to  undertakings  which  do  not 
bear  fruit  for  from  fifty  to  one  hundred  years  and  it  cannot  wisely  be 
counted  upon  to  provide  a  substantial  future  supply  of  standing  timber,  of 
which  large  size  and  superior  quality  are  essential.  In  the  case  of  spruce 
for  pulp  manufacture  it  is  possible  tha>;  private  enterprise  may  be  relied 
upon  because  the  period  of  tree  crop  rotation  is  relatively  short  and  size 
and  quality  are  by  no  means  such  important  factors  as  they  are  in  the  case 
of  timber  for  use  in  lumber  manufacture. 

Similarly  softwood  timber  of  some  species  on  southern  lands  frequently 
reaches  merchantable  size  within  forty  years.  But  this  is  not  true  of  the 


62 

hardwoods  nor  of  the  softwood  timber  that  will  produce  wide,  clear  lumbet- 
or  large  dimension  timbers. 

The  Position  of  tlie  State  Forests.  For  the  reforestation  of  the  inferior 
grades  of  softwoods  private  enterprise  may  be  adequate.  But  for  the 
perpetuation  of  the  superior  grades  of  softwoods  and  of  the  desirable  hard- 
wood species,  such  as  are  native  to  the  soil  of  the  Ohio  valley,  no  adequate 
provision  will  have  been  made  until  state  forests  or  federal  forests  shall 
have  been  established  for  that  purpose.  The  hardwoods  are  of  peculiar 
concern  to  the  states  of  Ohio,  Indiana  and  Illinois.  But  there  can  be  but 
little  prospect  of  permanent  success  in  their  forest  enterprises  until  these 
states  shall  have  committed  themselves  definitely  to  the  establishment  and 
maintenance  of  state  forests,  and  these  not  as  an  experiment,  but  as  a 
business. 

The  quantity,  location  and  species  of  timber  with  which  the  appropriate 
lands  of  these  states  should  be  reforested  can  wisely  be  detemined  only  in 
relation  to  the  policy  which  may  be  established  for  the  nation  as  a  whole. 
State  pride  might  encourage  us  to  seek  for  our  own  industries  and  our 
own  people,  comparative  independence  of  the  sources  of  timber  supply  out- 
side the  state.  But  it  is  not  impossible  that  the  interests  of  these  three 
states  may  be  permanently  best  served  if  the  bulk  of  their  future  supply, 
for  example,  of  oak  lumber  should  come  from  West  Virginia  or  Kentucky  or 
Tennessee.  There  is  essentially  no  greater  reason  that  Indiana  should 
supply  her  own  people  with  oak  from  her  own  forests  than  that  Nebraskan 
homes  should  be  built  of  "Nebraskan  pine",  provided  that  the  land,  the 
labor,  and  the  capital  which  Indiana  would  have  devoted  to  the  growing  of 
oak  timber  could  have  been  directed  more  profitably  into  other  lines  of 
enterprise. 

The  test  of  true  conservation  is  not  therefore  in  the  size  of  the  forests, 
or  in  the  quality  of  the  timber  standing  therein,  but  in  the  fitness  of  the 
plan  of  forestation  to  contribute  to  the  most  efficient  possible  utilization  of 
the  state's  resources  of  land  and  capital  and  to  the  most  profitable  appli- 
cation of  the  labor  of  its  people.  "Conservation"  of  any  other  kind  is  not 
conservation,  but  waste. 

The  specific  forest  needs  of  the  three  states  of  Ohio,  Indiana  and  Illinois, 
cannot,  it  is  true,  be  determined  by  the  total  forest  needs  of  the  entire 
nation,  but  they  can  be  largely  guided  by  them.  Although  timber  generally 
is  still  plentiful  there  is  a  growing  scarcity  of  a  few  important  species 
which  may  properly  cause  concern  to  our  industries  and  people.  The  fer- 
tile lands  of  the  Miami  and  Wabash  valleys  once  carried  the  finest  walnut 
and  oak  forests  in  the  middle  west.  Today  the  same  lands  produce  the 
finest  corn  crops  in  the  Ohio  river  valley.  Fifty  years  ago  pioneer  farmers 
in  southern  Ohio  were  having  neighborhood  "log-rollings"  at  which  they 
burned  millions  of  feet  of  black  walnut  trees  like  those  for  which  the  War 
Department  during  the  war  literally  scoured  the  country  to  find  material 
for  gun  stocks.  The  heavy  hewn  beams  of  the  old  barns  in  the  Ohio 
valley  are  of  wood  that  now  makes  table  tops  for  kings  and  many  an  old 
granary  door  would  make  fine  furniture. 

The  industrial  life  of  these  states  is  today  in  their  farms  and  pastures, 
their  packing  houses,  canneries,  steel  works,  refineries  and  factories.  Their 


63 

prosperity  is  largely  due  to  their  farms,  and  agricultural  development  would 
have  been  impossible  without  the  sacrifice  of  the  finest  of  their  forests. 
Nations  and  states,  like  individuals,  cannot  "eat  their  cake  and  have  it, 
too." 

Now,  we  are  endeavoring  to  reclaim  a  part  of  this  lost  heritage  of 
forests.  Removal  of  timber  and  the  rapid  vanishing  of  nearby  sources  of 
supply  are  focusing  public  attention  more  and  more  upon  the  need  of  prompt 
and  systematic  provision  for  the  future.  There  is  enough  time  but  not  too 
much,  in  which  to  put  forestation  in  the  United  States  upon  a  sound  and 
permanent  basis.  But  there  will  be  no  definite  or  assuring  accomplishment 
until  the  nation  and  the  several  states  themselves  shall  have  assumed  this 
obligation  as  their  own. 

The  fertile  valley  lands  of  the  Ohio,  the  Wabash  and  the  Miami  have 
figured  prominently  in  the  agricultural  development  and  the  industrial 
prosperity  of  the  central  west. 

In  the  great  joint  forestry  enterprise  which  you  are  here  planning  the 
hill  lands  may  be  reclaimed.  They  too  may  help  to  make  this  prosperity 
secure  and  permanent  and  the  forests  on  the  hills  in  the  big  bend  of  the 
Ohio  river  may  yet  become  a  factor  in  the  industrial  life  of  these  states 
as  vital  perhaps  as  the  farms  on  the  banks  of  the  Wabash.  (Applause) 

MR.  BOOKWALTER:  I  take  special  pleasure  in  presenting  to  you 
Professor  Rothrock  of  Indiana  University,  who  will  address  you  for  a  few 
moments.  (Applause) 

PROF.  ROTHROCK:  Mr.  Toastmaster  and  gentlemen,  I  am  not 
a  forester  at  all,  I  know  very  little  about  forestry,  although  I  would  like 
to  know  a  great  deal  more.  This  matter  appeals  to  me  in  a  personal  way.  I 
like  to  see  things  saved  and  it  seems  to  me  that  our  forests  are  well  worth 
saving.  Perhaps  we  can  take  steps  at  this  conference  that  will  lead  into 
something,  so  that  the  future  legislature  will  give  us  more  authority  in  the 
conserving  of  forests.  (Applause) 

MR.  BOOKWALTER:  A  meeting  of  lumbermen  or  any  industry  con- 
nected with  the  lumber  industry  held  in  Indianapolis  would  not  be  com- 
plete without  a  few  words  from  Mr.  Barnaby,  of  Greencastle.  (Applause) 

MR.  BARNABY:  It  has  always  been  that  saw-mill  men  have  been 
blamed  with  misusing  our  forests.  I  am  sure  I  don't  know  why  it  is, 
because  we  only  use  the  lumber  as  necessity  demands.  But  I  am  glad  to 
see  this  company  of  men  so  alive  and  interested  in  forest  conservation.  I 
have  been  attending  lumber  conventions  for  something  like  thirty  years 
and  at  their  annual  meetings  we  always  hear  from  some  forestry  man,  and 
while  he  is  talking,  everybody  goes  to  sleep.  I  don't  know  why  they 
don't  become  more  interested,  but  they  don't  seem  to.  They  need  a  bunch 
of  men  like  you  to  get  them  stirred  up.  The  need  for  conservation  is 
growing  daily  more  and  more  apparent.  Right  now  there  is  a  great  de- 
mand for  white  oak  and  we  are  having  difficulty  in  getting  all  that  we 
need.  The  men  who  manufacture  material  from  white  oak  are  at  a  loss 
to  know  where  their  future  supply  is  coming  from. 

I  don't  know  how  we  are  going  to  get  the  people  of  our  country  aroused 
but  I  think  it  is  up  to  the  nation  as  a  whole  as  well  as  the  states.  I  don't 
believe  that  the  individuals  alone  can  do  it.  (Applause) 


64 

MR.  BOOKW ALTER:  It  is  not  our  desire  nor  purpose  to  draw  out 
this  program  to  a  tedious  length,  but  I  think  that  even  though  you  have  the 
opportunity  of  hearing  from  him  tomorrow,  that  we  would  like  to  have 
just  a  few  words  from  him  now.  He  is  the  man  whom  I  consider  to  be 
the  most  useful  citizen  of  this  capital  of  Indiana,  a  man  who  has  always 
unselfishly  worked  for  the  betterment  of  his  home  town.  It  is  to  me  a  great 
personal  pleasure  to  present  to  you  for  just  a  few  remarks,  Mr.  Richard 
Lieber,  of  this  city.  (Applause) 

MR.  LIEBER:  Mr.  Chairman  and  gentlemen,  this  evening  I  was  so 
happy  as  I  sat  here  quietly  in  the  background  and  listened  to  the  papers 
that  have  been  given.  I  have  been  thinking  of  the  times  that  I  have  had  to 
sit  up  there  at  the  speakers'  table  waiting  for  my  turn  to  come,  and  wait- 
ing to  get  out  of  my  system  the  paper  I  had  been  asked  to  give  and  now 
our  toastmaster  asks  me  to  speak.  I  hope  this  is  as  far  as  we  will  go. 

I  am  reminded  of  a  little  incident  which  I  witnessed  when  I  was  a 
young  man  living  in  England.  It  had  been  raining  for  several  days  when 
one  night  it  turned  cold  very  suddenly.  The  next  morning  the  streets  were 
extremely  slippery,  a  serious  matter  because  of  the  hilly  country.  As  I 
was  watching,  an  old  gentleman  from  across  the  street  started  out  very 
carefully,  picking  his  way  along  on  icy  pavement.  He  was  getting  along 
very  nicely  until  a  young  person  came  out,  paying  no  attention  to  the 
change  and  started  down  the  hill  just  behind  the  old  man.  Very  suddenly 
she  slipped  and  the  next  I  knew  they  were  both  rolling  down  the  hill 
together  and  when  they  reached  the  bottom,  she  was  found  sitting  on 
top  of  the  old  gentleman.  He  said,  "I  beg  your  pardon,  madam,  but  I 
presume  you  will  have  to  get  off;  this  is  as  far  as  we  go."  (Laughter  and 
applause) 

MR.  BOOKW  ALTER:  Well,  Mr.  Lieber,  this  is  as  far  as  we  will  go 
tonight. 

ADJOURNMENT. 

THURSDAY  MORNING   SESSION 

The  meeting  was  called  to  order  at  9:30  A.  M.  with  Senator  Guthrie 
presiding. 

THE  CHAIRMAN :  It  is  far  past  the  hour  at  which  we  were  scheduled 
to  begin  this  morning,  so  I  think  we  had  better  come  to  order.  We  have 
a  lot  of  work  to  be  done  this  morning.  I  am  going  to  ask  all  of  you  to 
take  particular  notice  of  Mr.  William's  paper  and  I  hope  you  will  be  able 
to  remember  the  points  he  makes.  I  take  it  that  we  had  better  go  right 
through  with  the  program  and  carry  it  out  as  it  is.  We  will  first  hear 
from  Dr.  C.  E.  Thome,  Director  of  Ohio  Agricultural  Experiment  Station. 
(Applause) 

MR.  SECREST :  I  regret  that  Mr.  Thorne  could  not  attend  the  confer- 
ence and  present  this  subject  to  you.  It  was  impossible,  however,  for  him 
to  be  here,  and  he  has  requested  me  to  present  to  you  an  outline  of  what 
we  think  should  constitute  our  program  of  forestry  for  Ohio. 

The  maintenance  of  the  forests  concerns  the  public  interests  as  well  as 
those  of  individuals  who  are  directly  dependent  in  some  manner  upon 


65 

wood  as  a  source  of  raw  material.  The  various  functions  of  forests  are 
so  vita!  to  the  welfare  of  a  state  that  their  depletion  cannot  be  permitted 
to  longer  escape  the  attention  of  the  public. 

Private  ownership  in  the  main  has  failed  to  provide  for  the  renewal 
of  the  forest  after  cutting.  The  timbers  of  commerce  have  continued  to 
come  largely  from  the  original  forest  growth.  The  second  growth  available 
for  use  is  meagre,  and  results  from  a  let  alone  policy  rather  than  any 
effort  on  the  part  of  woodland  owners  to  produce  a  second  crop  to  succeed 
the  virgin  growth.  The  total  available  saw  timber  in  the  state  does  not 
exceed  1,100,000,000  feet,  and  this  is  by  no  means  first  quality  material. 
The  wood  using  industries  dependent  upon  hardwoods  are  rapidly  absorb- 
ing the  limited  stumpage,  and  they  will  soon  be  compelled  to  shut  down 
or  go  elsewhere.  The  consumers  of  hardwoods  are  finding  good  grades 
increasingly  difficult  to  obtain  and  at  higher  prices.  The  hardwood  timber 
supply  is  limited  in  this  country  as  compared  with  that  of  softwoods,  and 
the  sources  of  first  growth  material  from  the  states  that  now  have  a  reserve 
will  soon  cease  to  exist. 

The  effect  of  forest  depletion  upon  communities  within  the  inherent 
timber  section  of  the  state  is  also  serious  enough  in  consequence  to  engage 
the  attention  of  the  public.  Small  centers  of  population  which  within  the 
last  few  decades  were  dependent  to  a  considerable  degree  upon  a  liveli- 
hood derived  from  the  various  factors  of  the  lumbering  industry  are  no 
longer  able  to  enjoy  the  modest  prosperity  which  was  theirs.  Since  the 
passing  of  the  merchantable  timber  many  small  towns  and  villages  have 
lost  an  important  source  of  income,  and  the  reaction  is  reflected  in  depopu- 
lation, vacant  houses  and  abandoned  wood  working  plants.  Nor  is  this 
alone  the  only  loss  to  communities  and  the  commonwealth.  The  depleted 
forest  lands  of  no  practicable  utility  aside  from  timber  production,  after 
having  been  stripped  of  all  merchantable  growth  are  permitted  to  become 
devastated  by  fire,  thus  further  reducing  their  usefulness  by  destroying 
even  their  potentiality.  Such  lands,  and  there  are  several  hundred  thousand 
acres  in  Ohio,  can  hope  for  little  development  by  virtue  of  private  ownership 
under  present  existing  conditions,  and  there  must  be  a  material  change 
in  economic  conditions  and  in  governmental  regulations  before  private 
capital  will  undertake  forest  renewal. 

Those  who  have  been  in  close  touch  with  the  forestry  situation  in  Ohio 
are  of  the  opinion  that  the  state  must  adopt  a  policy  in  which  positive  steps 
are  taken  to  maintain  and  perpetuate  the  forests  now  existing  on  inherent 
forest  soils  and  to  provide  for  reforestation  where  needed  on  non-agricul- 
tural or  idle  lands,  and  that  this  must  be  done  in  a  manner  that  will 
accomplish  the  purpose  with  the  least  possible  delay.  The  program  pro- 
posed for  Ohio  is  believed  to  embrace  the  greatest  needs  at  the  present  time 
and  it  may  be  modified  or  supplemented  as  future  conditions  warrant. 

Publicly  owned  forests  are  undoubtedly  a  basic  factor  in  a  program  for 
increased  timber  production.  The  public  through  state,  county  and  munic- 
ipal government,  is  the  agency  that  can  best  take  over  cut-over  and  wild 
lands  and  provide  the  necessary  protection  and  maintenance  for  the  pro- 
duction of  successive  crops  of  timber.  Nor  is  this  a  problem  of  the  produc- 
tion of  timber  only.  It  is  economy  for  the  state  to  utilize  all  land  to  its 


66 

fullest  extent.     Productive  land  adds  to  the  wealth  of  a  community  and 
state  by  direct  and  indirect  means.    Idle  and  wild  lands  are  a  liability. 

Again  the  function  of  state  forests  would  be  extended  to  other  purposes 
of  utility.  They  would  serve  to  protect  stream  flow  and  the  maintenance  of 
navigable  streams.  The  proposed  public  forests  for  Ohio  are  in  a  section  of 
broken  topography  and  in  close  proximity  to  the  Ohio  river. 

The  state  needs,  furthermore,  publicly  owned  forests  for  natural  recrea- 
tion grounds.  There  are  virtually  no  places  existing  with  proper  facilities 
where  citizens  of  Ohio  can  secure  camping  and  outing  privileges,  other  than 
those  under  private  ownership.  Trespassing  and  going  onto  another's  land 
even  with  permission  is  not  attractive  to  most  people.  State  forests  with 
appropriate  camping  sites  would  attract  people  to  them.  It  would  add  to 
their  usefulness  and  would  serve  as  a  means  of  education  in  the  aims  and 
purposes  of  forestry,  and  would  gain  support  for  a  policy  of  forest  conser- 
vation. 

Ohio  has  approximately  500,000  acres  of  land  which  should  come  under 
public  ownership,  at  least  until  economic  conditions  warrant  returning  all 
or  part  to  private  ownership  under  a  guarantee  of  the  continuance  of 
sustained  yield  forests.  Our  present  program  contemplated  the  acquisi- 
tion of  200,000  acres  of  cut-over  and  wild  lands  in  some  of  the  southern 
Ohio  counties.  Such  purchase  would  not  entail  a  contiguous  area,  but 
would  comprise  several  tracts.  A  recent  detailed  survey  of  Scioto  Co. 
indicates  the  possibility  of  acquiring  some  75,000  acres  in  virtually  a  con- 
tinuous body.  In  any  case  the  proposed  total  acquisition  would  be  so 
grouped  as  to  render  administration  easily  and  economically  applied. 
Authority  to  purchase  lands  for  state  forests  was  conferred  upon  the 
Board  of  Control  of  the  Ohio  Agricultural  Experiment  Station  and  suffi- 
cient appropriations  secured  to  make  a  beginning,  although  the  two  tracts 
purchased  are  devoted  to  experimental  and  demonstration  purposes.  An 
effort  therefore  must  be  made  to  procure  adequate  appropriations  or  bond 
issues  to  carry  out  the  purchase  program  as  adopted. 

Municipalities  can  and  should  take  part  in  the  program  of  forest  con- 
servation. There  is  ample  opportunity  in  Ohio  for  a  considerable  number 
of  cities  to  acquire  lands  on  broken  topography  suitable  for  forests,  con- 
tiguous or  in  close  proximity  to  the  corporate  limits.  Such  tracts  would 
often  be  partially  wooded  with  native  forest,  and  would  require  no  great 
amount  of  artificial  forestation.  These  areas  could  be  converted  into 
natural  parks  for  the  benefit  of  the  urban  dweller,  and  at  the  same  time 
be  a  factor  in  timber  production.  While  requiring  a  monetary  outlay 
at  the  outset,  municipal  forests  could  ultimately  be  made  to  pay  their  way, 
and  in  time  yield  a  revenue.  It  would  be  well  for  the  people  of  cities  to 
contrast  the  usefulness  of  the  relatively  inexpensive  municipal  forest  with 
some  of  the  ostentatious  and  freakish  parks  that  adorn  some  of  our  cities. 
Ohio  now  has  two  city  forests,  those  of  Oberlin  and  Cincinnati. 

Other  political  subdivisions  such  as  counties  and  townships  should  also 
be  authorized  to  acquire  forests  or  forest  parks.  In  this  connection  there 
would  be  the  opportunity  to  preserve  certain  forested  scenic  features. 

Forest  protection  is  coextensive  in  importance  with  the  acquisition  of 
publicly  owned  forests.  An  adequate  system  for  the  control  and  suppres- 


67 

sion  of  forest  fires  is  needed  in  certain  counties  of  the  state.  Fire  injury 
of  any  consequence  exists  only  on  the  inherent  forest  lands  of  large  con- 
tiguous holdings.  The  smaller  bodies  of  forests,  mostly  farmers'  wood- 
lands are  rarely  damaged  by  fires.  Legislation  will  be  needed  and  will  be 
requested  for  putting  into  effect  the  necessary  machinery  for  fire  protection 
where  needed  in  southern  Ohio. 

Grazing  of  woodlands  has  become  a  fixed  habit  with  the  farmer,  and 
in  general  is  unprofitable  since  woodlands  are  poor  pasture,  and  pastured 
woodlands  are  poor  forest.  A  campaign  of  education  has  been  directed 
against  this  practice  and  it  is  believed  has  accomplished  some  result.  It  is 
probable  that  this  problem  can  best  be  solved  by  educational  means.  For- 
tunately grazing  is  more  prevalent  on  the  woodlands  of  the  better  agricul- 
tural sections  of  the  state,  where  land  is  high  priced  and  the  woodlands 
will  soon  give  way  to  farm  crops.  Granting  the  realization  of  the  purchase 
program  of  such  areas  as  are  practicable  for  public  ownership,  the  bulk 
of  the  forests  of  the  state  would  still  be  in  private  hands.  Greater  assis- 
tance to  the  owners  of  woodlands  by  the  state  by  means  of  definite  advice, 
more  comprehensive  working  plans,  fire  protection,  equitable  taxation, 
adequate  research  in  forest  problems,  will  avail  much  to  promote  the  prac- 
tice of  private  forestry,  but  it  is  altogether  probable  that  it  will  not  meet 
the  needs.  Indeed  this  doubt  seems  to  be  well  founded  in  the  experience 
of  the  states  which  have  had  seemingly  well  established  policies  for  some- 
time. 

Definite  assistance  where  the  public  assumes  the  financial  burden,  the 
attendant  risks  through  the  long  period  of  time  in  carrying  the  timber  crop 
from  the  beginning  well  along  to  maturity  would  seem  to  be  required  if 
any  general  results  are  obtained.  We  are  inclined  to  favor,  therefore,  that 
upon  application  of  the  owner  of  certain  classes  of  timberland  the  state 
take  over  the  land  and  take  charge  of  the  renewal  of  the  forest  and  its 
management,  the  cost  to  be  charged  against  the  owner,  and  is  to  be  a  lien 
against  the  timber.  The  burdens  of  taxation,  fire  risks,  long  time  invest- 
ment, etc.,  could  thus  be  assumed  by  the  state  and  at  time  of  final  cutting, 
which  would  be  under  the  supervision  of  the  state,  the  cost  charges  would 
be  obligated  by  the  owner.  The  owner,  however,  should  have  the  option 
of  discharging  the  obligation  at  any  time  upon  payment  to  the  state  of  the 
accrued  costs  of  reforestation  and  administration  together  with  a  conserv- 
ative rate  of  interest.  A  plan  somewhat  similar  to  that  above  has  been  in 
operation  in  Massachusetts  for  some  years,  and  though  it  has  apparently 
been  limited  to  the  artificial  reforestation  of  idle  lands,  has  been  quite 
successful  in  operation.  It  would  seem  that  if  the  plan  could  be  extended 
to  second  growth  and  cut-over  lands,  partially  or  fully  stocked  as  well  as 
to  purely  planting  projects,  its  usefulness  would  be  greatly  extended. 

Artificial  reforestation  must  necessarily  be  given  considerable  promi- 
nence in  any  forestry  program.  This  phase,  however,  is  of  minor  conse- 
quence as  compared  with  the  renewal  of  the  native  woodland  through 
natural  regeneration.  The  areas  wherein  planting  must  be  done,  however, 
will  increase  rapidly  unless  steps  are  taken  to  protect  and  maintain  the 
native  growth  or  inherent  forest  soils. 

The  state  should  give  encouragement  to  private  owners  in  planting  waste 


and  idle  lands,  shelterbelts,  etc.  To  this  end  it  should  be  prepared  to  give 
assistance  which  will  promote  the  most  economical  formation  and  suc- 
cessful development  of  forest  plantations. 

The  state  should  establish  forest  nurseries  where  planting  stock  is 
grown  in  large  quantities  and  could  be  distributed  to  landowners  free  of 
charge  or  at  a  cost  not  to  exceed  cost  of  production.  Forest  nurseries  are 
now  maintained  but  the  output  is  not  sufficient  to  furnish  any  large  quan- 
tities of  stock. 

Forest  utilization  and  marketing  of  forest  products  are  important  fea- 
tures of  an  adequate  forest  policy.  Economy  in  the  use  and  disposal  of 
timber  has  a  definite  salient  influence  on  the  conservation  of  merchantable 
timber.  The  Ohio  Department  of  Forestry  has  given  attention  to  these 
problems,  and  has  established  a  service  by  which  woodland  owners  are 
given  assistance  relative  to  timber  estimates,  values,  methods  of  logging, 
marketing,  etc.  There  should  be  co-operation  between  woodland  owners 
in  marketing  timber.  It  would  enable  them  to  dispose  of  their  different 
grades  of  timber  to  better  advantage,  and  would  often  prevent  waste  and 
misutilization  of  grades. 

A  land  classification  is  now  in  progress  and  it  should  be  pushed  to 
completion  as  rapidly  as  possible.  By  this  means  it  will  be  possible  to 
determine  the  amounts,  classes  and  location  of  lands  suited  to  forest  pro- 
duction. Along  with  land  classification  a  survey  of  the  present  forest 
resources  should  be  made,  comprising  the  present  supplies  and  the  future 
potentialities. 

The  needs  for  more  extensive  and  better  organized  research  work  would 

'  be  evident  in  putting  into  effect  the  program  as  proposed.    There  is  virtually 

a  virgin  field  in  forestry  for  research  work,  and  more  definite  knowledge  of 

certain  phases  of  forest  production  and  utilization  would  undoubtedly  lead 

to  an  earlier  realization  of  a  workable  and  satisfactory  forest  policy. 

We  have  not  proceeded  as  fast  as  we  would  have  liked  to,  but  I  am  not 
discouraged.  The  outlook  for  some  real  accomplishments  in  the  near 
future  is  pretty  bright.  The  war  has  had  a  good  effect  and  I  feel  that  we  are 
going  to  get  something  done  that  will  be  worth  while.  (Applause) 

THE  CHAIRMAN:  I  have  been  particularly  interested  in  what  Mr. 
Secrest  had  to  say  because  conditions  in  Ohio  and  Indiana  are  practically 
the  same.  I  think  that  Ohio  has  much  larger  tracts  of  timber  than  Indiana 
has,  but  this  will  be  interesting  when  the  discussion  comes  up  as  to  how  we 
are  to  acquire  the  timber  lands. 

The  next  speaker  to  appear  is  Dr.  F.  W.  Shepardson,  Director  of  Regis- 
tration and  Education.  Dr.  Shepardson  will  speak  of  Illinois  state  forest 
policies.  (Applause) 

DR.  SHEPARDSON:  The  representatives  from  Illinois  to  this  confer- 
ence came  to  listen  rather  than  to  talk,  to  learn  rather  than  to  teach.  Our 
program  in  Illinois  for  forestry  is  just  tentative ;  our  policy — we  have  none. 
We  have  not  done  as  much  as  Ohio  and  Indiana,  and  I  am  afraid  that 
hitherto  we  have  not  been  much  impressed  with  what  either  of  those  two 
states  has  done,  as  it  has  been  unfolded  here  in  the  meeting  of  this  confer- 
ence. 


If  I  were  to  stop  there,  I  should  certainly  do  injustice  to  Illinois.  Be- 
cause there  are  some  things  that  we  have  done  which  ought  to  be  brought  to 
your  attention.  These  things,  to  my  mind  are  hopeful,  especially  in  view  of 
the  prevailing  sentiment  that  the  three  states  along  the  Ohio  river  have 
more  or  less  common  interests. 

When  I  was  appointed  to  my  present  position,  I  had  no  idea  what  I  was 
expected  to  do.  I  found  among  other  things  that  there  was  to  be  a  Board 
of  Natural  Resources  and  Conservation.  That  title  appealed  to  me.  It 
had  vision,  and  seemed  to  imply  that  the  state  expected  that  something  was 
going  to  be  done  in  conservation  line.  I  studied  the  make-up  of  that  board. 
There  was  an  expert  in  geology  to  co-operate  with  the  state  in  the  geological 
survey.  There  was  an  expert  in  natural  history.  There  were  experts  in 
chemistry  and  sanitation.  There  was  an  expert  in  forestry. 

The  next  question  came  as  to  whether  Illinois  had  accomplished  any- 
thing along  the  lines  of  forest  preservation.  It  was  found  that  in  May, 
1893,  Mr.  G.  W.  McCluer  in  connection  with  Professor  T.  J.  Burrill  of  the 
University  of  Illinois  made  a  report  on  forestry  in  Illinois.  This  is  an 
extremely  interesting  document.  In  a  general  way  he  showed  that  there 
are  eighty  species  of  forest  trees  in  Illinois  besides  many  large  shrubs. 
The  first  appropriation  for  forestry  was  made  on  March  11,  1869,  one 
thousand  dollars  being  set  aside  for  trees  and  seeds.  Experimental  plant- 
ing was  begun  by  the  University  of  Illinois  in  the  spring  of  1871.  This 
report  is  found  in  Bulletin  26  of  the  Agricultural  Experiment  Station  at 
Champaign.  Its  general  conclusions  are  that  the  land  in  Illinois  which 
was  fit  for  wheat  and  corn  was  too  valuable  to  be  used  for  forest  trees; 
that  well  timbered  land  sold  at  a  less  price  per  acre  than  adjoining  lands 
that  had  been  cleared  or  than  prairie  land  of  the  same  productiveness.  The 
value  of  the  timber  was  less  than  the  cost  of  clearing  and  bringing  under 
cultivation.  The  report  continued,  that,  apart  from  economic  views,  the 
planting  of  trees  had  higher  and  other  claims  for  consideration.  These  in- 
cluded the  equalization  of  temperature,  the  better  distribution  of  moisture, 
better  sustaining  the  running  streams  and  minimizing  and  reducing  the 
danger  of  destructive  floods,  the  checking  of  heavy  winds,  the  better  pro- 
tection of  the  crops  from  the  destructive  influence  of  air  moving  too  rap- 
idly, and  the  aesthetic  value  of  trees  used  as  ornaments. 

On  May  5, 1903,  a  resolution  was  adopted  in  the  state  legislature  lament- 
ing the  diminishing  of  the  forest  area  of  Illinois  and  asking  that  the  De- 
partment of  Agriculture  of  the  United  States  of  America  be  requested  to 
make  an  investigation  as  to  the  condition  of  the  forests  and  to  make  rec- 
ommendations for  preserving  what  remained  and  for  encouraging  the  prop- 
agation, growth  and  protection  of  forests  in  general  within  the  state. 

In  1910  another  study  was  made  in  co-operation  with  Mr.  Peters  by 
two  representatives  of  the  forest  service,  this  report  being  published  in 
1911  under  the  title  "Forest  Conditions  in  Illinois."  The  survey  which 
was  made  was  thorough  so  far  as  it  went.  The  report  shows  what  various 
kinds  of  trees  were  to  be  found  in  Illinois  and  it  was  illustrated  by  photo- 
graphs which  brought  out  many  points  of  interest. 

Nothing  else  seems  to  have  been  done  until  the  adoption  of  the  Civil 
Administrative  Code.  This  provided  for  a  Board  of  Natural  Resources  and 


70 

Conservation  to  advise  regarding  the  scientific  work  of  the  state,  forestry 
being  mentioned  as  one  specific  phase  of  it,  this  to  be  represented  on  the 
board  mentioned  by  an  expert  on  the  subject.  Under  the  direction  of  this 
board,  Professor  John  M.  Coulter,  the  expert  in  forestry,  was  instructed  to 
present  a  report  on  possibilities  along  this  line.  As  a  result  of  his  recom- 
mendations which  followed  some  investigational  work  by  graduate  students 
under  him,  the  Board  of  Natural  Resources  and  Conservation  recommended 
that  a  forester  be  employed  to  make  a  preliminary  study  of  the  needs  and 
possibilities  of  the  situation.  An  item  was  included  in  the  budget  of  the 
Natural  History  Survey  to  provide  for  the  salary  of  the  forester  whose 
work  began  July  1st,  1919. 

Now  I  think  I  have  recounted  the  history  of  forestry  in  Illinois.  I  want 
to  call  attention  to  the  fact  that  we  have  in  the  vicinity  of  Chicago,  in 
Cook  county,  forest  preserves,  that  have  led  many  people  to  think  seriously 
of  this  question  of  forestry,  and  of  the  desirability  of  preserving  trees. 

As  we  look  forward,  what  is  the  situation?  The  first  thing  we  did  was 
to  ask  the  legislature  for  an  appropriation  to  start  something  and  they 
did  give  us  a  small  amount  which  we  plan  to  use  to  make  a  survey  which 
will  reveal  in  printed  form  the  various  conditions  which  have  been  discussed 
in  this  room  during  the  last  day.  We  hope  to  use  this  for  the  purpose  of 
stimulating  interest  in  preserving  the  forests  of  Illinois.  We  want  to  be 
able  to  provide  valuable  information  so  that  at  the  next  session  of  the  leg- 
islature, we  may  be  able  to  get  a  larger  appropriation  and  then  really 
start  work  as  it  should  be  started.  We  have  made  the  right  kind  of  a 
beginning.  We  gave  careful  consideration  to  the  kind  of  a  man  we  should 
have  for  state  forester.  We  found  one  who  pleased  us  and  with  whom  we 
are  increasingly  pleased  as  the  days  go  by.  He  is  working  under  handicaps 
of  not  having  enough  help  in  men  or  money,  but  he  has  made  a  good  be- 
ginning. Now  then,  the  question  is,  what  can  we  do  in  the  future?  There 
again  we  come  to  some  peculiar  conditions  which  confront  us.  Illinois  is 
in  the  midst  of  a  big  undertaking — we  are  now  trying  the  budget  system. 
If  there  is  a  legislative  body  which  knows  nothing  of  the  relation  of  income 
to  outgo,  it  might  easily  be  induced  by  argument  to  make  an  appropriation 
of  a  hundred  thousand  dollars  for  forestry  purposes,  but  you  can't  get  by 
with  this  and  the  budget  system. 

We  can't  get  an  appropriation  unless  we  can  show  that  we  can  actually 
give  something  that  will  benefit  Illinois.  This  applies  to  forestry  or  any- 
thing else.  We  are  now  at  work  on  a  good  roads  program  which  will  cost 
us  over  a  hundred  million  dollars.  Not  only  the  roads  which  the  state  is 
building,  but  those  of  local  communities,  are  being  reconstructed.  We  are 
undertaking  a  great  waterways  program  in  Illinois,  and  an  investment  of 
a  good  many  million  dollars  is  going  into  that,  not  only  for  tomorrow  but 
for  the  future.  We  are  engaged  in  making  a  topographical  survey  of  Illi- 
nois, in  co-operation  with  the  United  States  Government.  We  have  just 
completed  about  twenty-three  per  cent,  of  the  map  making.  We  want  to 
publish  that  just  as  fast  as  we  can.  Incidentally,  we  have  started  a  little 
bit  of  work  along  drainage  lines. 

All  of  these  things  are  working  favorably  toward  forestation,  because 
people  are  being  united  as  they  never  were  before.  We  have  begun  to 


71 

realize  that  Illinois  must  do  things  as  Illinois,  and  not  as  sections  of  a 
state.  We  are  already  co-operating  with  the  Federal  Government  in  the 
topographical  survey.  In  this  map-making  the  ground  is  being  prepared. 
There  is  this  background  for  study  and  thought.  There  have  been  papers 
prepared,  relating  to  various  minor  features  of  forestry.  There  have  been 
small  groups  of  people  interested  in  this  thing.  And  now  I  come  back 
to  where  I  started,  saying  that  the  forestry  program  of  Illinois  is  still 
tentative,  and  as  for  a  forest  policy,  we  have  none.  I  believe  I  am  also 
justified  in  saying  that  Illinois  is  working  on  a  lot  of  things  which  are 
preparing  the  way  for  us  so  that  if  Ohio,  Indiana  and  Illinois  get  together, 
working  with  the  Federal  Government,  doing  those  things  which  can  be 
done,  Illinois  will  be  ready  to  co-operate,  and  Illinois  will  lend  its  influence, 
not  only  in  the  halls  of  congress,  but  also  at  home.  (Applause) 

THE  CHAIRMAN:  We  have  all  been  interested  in  Dr.  Shepardson's 
talk,  and  I  know  it  will  bring  out  much  discussion  when  we  come  to  that 
point.  It  interested  me,  because  he  admitted  that  we  were  ahead  of  Illinois 
in  forestry.  All  of  you  are  aware  that  Indiana  made  some  changes  in  the 
last  legislature,  and  created  a  Department  of  Conservation,  which  covers 
five  or  six  different  offices,  listing  them  under  this  board.  After  the  Gov- 
ernment created  this  board,  which  was  to  commence  action  the  first  of 
April,  the  board  thought  only  of  one  man  as  director  of  these  departments. 
He  was  a  man  who  took  great  interest  in  parks,  conservation,  had  spent  a 
good  deal  of  time  and  money  along  these  lines,  and  so  we  selected  for  this 
position  a  man  who  will  talk  to  you  now,  and  who  no  doubt  will  give  us 
something  which  will  be  appreciated,  Col.  Richard  Lieber,  Director  of  Con- 
servation for  the  State  of  Indiana.  (Applause) 

MR.  RICHARD  LIEBER:  Mr.  Chairman  and  gentlemen,  at  the  ban- 
quet last  night  Mr.  Bookwalter  referred  to  an  accident  which  happened 
to  a  lonely  tree  in  France.  That  to  us,  sounded  like  a  strange  incident  for 
nobody  in  this  country  has  ever  thought  of  planting  trees  for  the  future 
since  everybody  expects  that  the  remnants  of  forests  that  we  do  have 
should  last  forever  and  so  save  us  from  the  necessity  of  exerting  ourselves. 
Whereas  in  the  old  countries  of  Europe  tree  planting  has  become  a  necessity 
and  has  been  practiced  for  centuries,  we  are  now  just  in  the  early  stages 
of  considering  it.  It  is  not  that  we  are  less  careful  than  the  other  nations, 
not  that  the  other  nations  are  wiser  than  we  are,  but  it  is  because  neces- 
sity has  not  yet  driven  us  to  it.  As  matters  are  shaping  up  at  this  time,  we 
still  have  a  margin  of  safety,  but  is  it  always  wise  to  use  the  margin  of 
safety?  We  should  be  prepared  to  have  that  material  which  is  so  essen- 
tial, therefore  the  entire  matter  of  forestry  is  one  of  public  interest. 

The  forestry  problem  of  Indiana  must  be  solved  on  the  basis  of  public 
welfare.  Under  this  I  would  include  such  contributing  factors  as  the 
aesthetic,  climatic,  recreational  and  most  important,  the  economical. 

All  these  elements  are  contained  in  the  wider  scope  of  a  forestry  policy 
and  so  interwoven  are  they  into  the  public  weal  that  it  is  doubly  neces- 
sary to  work  out  a  well  defined,  at  times  even  a  narrowed  down,  plan  of 
forest  management  in  order  to  keep  its  character  free  from  confusion  with 
its  attributes. 

The  silent  woods  may  be  the  poet's  inspiration,  but  that  is  not  forestry- 


72 

The  white-tailed  deer  which  I  hope  to  see  reinstated  in  its  former  do- 
main may  again  give  joy  to  the  nature  lover  and  to  the  sportsmen,  but  that 
is  not  forestry.  Winding  roads  through  inviting  woodlands  over  which 
travels  in  super-limousines  or  in  the  well-known- and  popular  make,  a 
crowd  of  recreationists  more  variegated  than  the  motley  crew  of  Chaucer's 
Pilgrims  to  Canterbury,  are  a  by-product  but  a  by-product  only  of  forestry. 
And  even  the  purer  waters  of  streams,  their  greater  abundance  and  their 
wholesome  influences  on  climatic  conditions  are  not  forestry. 

Forestry  is  the  science  of  producing  wood  and  keeping  it  in  sustained 
use  for  the  benefit  of  men.  And  therefore,  again  the  forestry  problem  of 
Indiana  must  be  solved  on  the  basis  of  public  welfare. 

Of  all  the  materials  that  bountiful  nature  has  bestowed  on  us,  none  has 
found  so  many  ready  uses  as  wood.  For,  while  the  minerals  lie  dormant 
until  we  reach  out  for  them,  the  very  life  of  a  tree  is  full  of  productiveness 
in  the  interest  of  man ;  its  death  only  marks  a  transformation  of  usefulness. 
For  that  reason  the  oft-heard  claim  that  we  will  find  a  substitute  for  wood 
if  we  run  out  of  trees  is  a  dangerous  fallacy,  for  we  human  beings  need 
trees  in  order  to  enjoy  the  many  products  thereof,  because  in  a  world 
without  trees  we  would  not  need  any  further  substitutes  having  renounced 
our  place  to  the  reign  of  billions  of  insects. 

So  again  we  see  how  forestry  has  its  ramifications  in  all  human  en- 
deavor, how  it  is  essential  to  human  welfare — nay,  to  its  very  existence. 
Of  late  years  there  has  come  over  many  people  in  our  state  a  keen  realiza- 
tion that  all  is  not  well  on  that  score.  More  and  more  it  becomes  patent 
that  private  ownership  of  forest  land  has  been  a  round  failure. 

We  have  spent  a  great  amount  of  energy  and  a  considerable  sum  of 
money  attempting  to  convince  and  encourage  the  private  land  owner  in 
the  practice  of  forestry  with  but  little  result.  We  cannot  escape  the  fact 
that  private  ownership  of  forests  and  timberland  is  possible  only,  if  imme- 
diate cutting  is  contemplated.  It  is  impossible  in  the  sense  of  forest 
administration. 

When  we  condense  our  material,  we  find  that  about  the  only  advantage 
in  forestry  practice  that  we  can  offer  to  the  private  owner,  is  the  improve- 
ment of  aesthetic  and  climatic  conditions — surely  a  small  boon  for  long 
risks  and  short  profits.  We  cannot  say  it  is  a  profitable  investment  because 
under  present  conditions  it  is  not.  Furthermore,  the  present  disadvantages 
of  private  forestry  are  many.  The  income  from  the  land  used  for  agri- 
cultural, horticultural,  and  grazing  purposes,  for  instance,  is  greater  and 
is  received  daily,  weekly,  monthly,  semi-annually  or  annually.  Intensive 
agriculture  gives  an  outlet  for  man-power  and  increases  the  local  popula- 
tion, improves  the  public  roads  system  which  contributes  to  desirable  social 
factors,  together  with  establishing  a  greater  number  of  churches,  and 
social  centers,  and  increasing  the  population  of  the  school.  With  our 
waning  forests  our  saw  mills  are  disappearing  and  in  some  communities 
only  one,  or  not  even  one  remains  which  means  no  competition  and  a  rela- 
tive slump  in  the  price  of  stumpage.  The  people  of  these  districts  will  soon 
not  know  how  to  haul  logs  or  have  the  necessary  equipment  for  handling 
timber.  The  rapid  development  of  the  dairy  business,  the  recent  intro- 
duction and  wide  use  of  the  silo,  added  knowledge  of  certain  forage  plants, 


73 

the  high  price  of  competing  food  products,  all  go  to  form  an  economic 
bulwark  against  which  private  forestry  cannot  stand.  No  agency  except 
fire  is  so  destructive  of  our  woodlands  as  the  grazing  business  which  is 
now  throttling  our  remnant  forests. 

With  this  in  mind  we  are  face  to  face  with  the  fact  that  there  are  in 
the  state  large  industries  that  depend  upon  the  forests  for  their  raw  mater- 
ial and  the  employment  of  thousands  of  people.  These  great  commercial 
enterprises  are  confronted  with  inevitable  dissolution  if  some  means  is  not 
worked  out  by  which  their  future  supply  will  be  assured.  If  they  go,  many 
communities  will  be  practically  destroyed  and  even  if  the  industry  can 
afford  to  bring  its  raw  material  from  greatly  distant  and  foreign  fields, 
the  state  must  repay  in  a  greatly  increased  cost. 

Forestry  in  Indiana  is  not  a  local  question,  nor  is  it  a  political  one.  It 
is  essentially  a  question  which  affects  the  prosperity  and  happiness  of  the 
coming  generations. 

The  situation  is  acute.  We  must  have  a  constructive  forest  policy 
which  will  establish  a  permanent  timber  supply.  There  is  but  little  hope 
in  private  interest,  although  they  may  be  urged  into  some  activity  by  the 
proper  classification  of  lands  with  corresponding  taxation  which  will  per- 
mit the  placing  of  private  forestry  on  a  profitable  basis. 

It  is  seeming  paradox  that  just  as  wood  is  the  fuel  for  the  very 
rich  or  the  very  poor,  so  is  the  tenure  of  forest  land  likewise  only  pos- 
sible for  the  two  extremes ;  the  millionaire  who  makes  a  plaything  out  of  it 
and  the  poor  man  whom  it  supplies  with  the  return  of  a  few  wagon-loads 
of  railroad  ties,  hoop-poles  or  tanbark,  to  maintain  his  precarious  exis- 
tence. 

This,  however,  does  not  include  the  circumspect  farmer  whose  properly 
arranged  woodlots  constitute  a  valuable  farm  asset,  but  neither  can  the 
woodlot  be  construed  a  solution  of  the  forestry  problem. 

We  cannot  shun  the  fact  that  the  question  is  one  for  the  public  and  it 
remains  for  the  state  and  the  municipality  to  meet  the  situation.  The  state 
can  carry  the  investment  safer  than  the  individual.  A  long  time  invest- 
ment is  no  object.  It  is  the  duty  of  the  state  to  have  a  forest  at  hand  for 
national  safety. 

When  in  August,  1914,  the  world  was  set  afire,  we  admitted  in  the 
following  years  that  we  were  unprepared  for  war.  Isn't  it  plain  to  us 
now  that  primarily  we  were  unprepared  for  peace.  And  when  we  did  arise 
in  our  might,  what  was  it  that  lent  substance  to  our  energy  and  to  our 
devotion  but  our  wonderful  natural  resources. 

Colonel  Graves  has  told  us  and  from  Colonel  Greeley  we  will  hear  a 
similar  story — what  part  American  timber  has  played  in  the  war.  If  we 
could  have  that  mighty  contribution  presented  to  us  in  one  bill  it  would 
readily  open  our  eyes  to  the  immediate  need  of  replacement. 

This  time  we  still  had  the  substance.  Let  not  another  emergency  arise 
and  find  us  wanting. 

Intensive  growing  of  timber  is  work  beyond  the  strength  of  the  indi- 
vidual. It  is  more  than  a  mere  economic  need;  it  is  a  solemn,  patriotic 
duty  for  it  aims  to  preserve  the  integrity  of  a  nation. 

Deep  significance  lies  in  the  fact  that  our  fore-fathers  beheld  the  forest 


74 

with  awe  and  reverence  and  attributed  supernatural  forces  to  its  being. 
The  cities  and  municipalities  in  the  past  timidly  began  with  parks,  but 
parks  are  not  forestry.  The  Federal  Government  in  some  states  has  cour- 
ageously plunged  into  the  maintenance  of  public  forests.  The  time  has 
come  when  Indiana  should  follow  suit  on  a  large  scale ;  the  state  as  well  as 
its  municipalities.  The  extent  to  which  they  should  engage  in  forestry  will 
be  determined  by  equating  the  value  of  the  profits  on  the  forest  with  the 
profits  that  might  be  obtained  on  the  same  land  from  agricultural  crops 
including  grazing.  At  least  the  location  of  public  forests  would  be  deter- 
mined by  this  method,  because  it  has  always  been  axiomatic  with  foresters 
that  land  with  high  agricultural  possibilities  should  be  used  for  that  pur- 
pose. 

State  owned  forests  would  be  in  large  bodies,  hence,  could  be  more  eco- 
nomically administered  and  the  management  would  be  under  trained  for- 
esters which  would  insure  the  maximum  of  income.  Again,  forests  in 
large  bodies  would  afford  opportunities  for  revenue  from  game,  from 
use  as  a  hunting  preserve  and  from  park  privileges  in  general. 

The  time  for  the  inauguration  of  state  forests  for  Indiana  is  today.  We 
cannot  afford  to  delay  any  longer.  We  must  go  to  work  at  once  and  find 
the  most  economical  locations;  the  method  of  financing;  the  administration 
and  work  out  the  great  mass  of  detail  consequent  upon  such  a  project. 
We  cannot  intelligently  speak  of  the  hundreds  or  thousands  of  acres,  but 
rather  in  hundreds  of  thousands  of  acres,  because  we  must  get  out  of  the 
time  worn  rut  we  have  been  running  in,  and  realize  that  the  question  is 
large  and  pressing  and  that  only  by  the  intelligent  management  of  hundreds 
of  thousands  of  acres  of  forest  can  we  hope  to  establish  a  permanent  sup- 
ply of  Indiana  hardwood. 

The  biggest  problem  is  to  place  before  the  public  the  urgency  of  the 
situation ;  the  necessity  of  action  and  responsibility  that  rests  upon  the 
civic  body.  Thankfully !  the  large  upheaval  caused  by  the  world  war 
has  aroused  the  public  from  its  old  lethargy  to  a  keen  appreciation  of  its 
power  and  responsibility.  There  must  be  launched  at  once  a  campaign  of 
education,  through  the  schools  and  mails  and  the  press,  setting  forth  the 
present  conditions  of  our  timber  supply  and  the  requirements  which  will 
make  it  possible  for  the  great  wood-using  industries  to  continue.  Pains- 
taking investigation  is  necessary  to  produce  the  authentic  information  with 
which  the  public  must  become  acquainted. 

The  Department  of  Conservation  is  a  willing  instrument  and  I  hope  that 
it  may  prove  an  able  one  to  make  the  people  of  our  state  acquainted  with 
the  prevailing  condition.  Together  with  Ohio  and  Illinois  we  have  stated 
the  purpose  of  our  conference  to  be  "an  arousing  of  the  public  and  wood- 
using  industries  to  the  need  of  action  if  our  future  timber  supply  is  to 
be  assured,  to  formulate  a  practical  working  policy  of  state  forestry,  out- 
line a  comprehensive  legislative  program  and  secure  adequate  legislative 
backing." 

When  we  adjourn  this  meeting  tonight  after  we  have  learned  even 
more  from  the  moving  pictures  that  we  are  to  see,  then  the  real  work 
should  begin.  It  has  been  my  pleasure  to  consult  with  a  few  of  the  gentle- 
men and  we  agreed  that  the  following  would  be  the  best  plan  to  conserve 


75 

the  work  of  the  conference,  namely,  that  each  state  should  form  a  Forestry 
Propaganda  Committee  of  any  size  they  wish  to  make  it,  have  the  committee 
select  three  men  to  serve  on  an  Executive  Committee — these  men  to  be 
men  connected  with  a  wood-using  industry  and  in  sympathy  with  our 
movement.  The  committee  should  meet  at  an  appointed  place  and  outline 
the  plan  in  general  to  be  followed  out  simultaneously  in  the  three  states. 
The  Executive  Committees  should  carry  the  information  to  the  state  com- 
mittees and  make  their  particular  wishes  known  to  the  governing  body. 
The  object  is  that  we  will  be  able  to  preserve  the  work  that  we  have  done 
here,  keep  "in  touch  with  each  other,  obtain  the  assistance  of  the  Federal 
Government  and  put  ourselves  in  a  position  wherever  the  legislature  meets 
to  assist  in  the  formation  of  proper  legislation. 

In  conclusion  I  wish  to  say  that  if  the  Department  of  Conservation  had 
the  autocratic  power  to  bestow  great  blessings  upon  the  people  by  its  use, 
we  would  disdain  to  use  it.  For  a  finer  sensibility  of  the  purposes  of  a 
republican  form  of  government  teaches  and  invariably  returns  us  to  the 
full  realization  that  lasting  good  can  only  come  through  the  public  voice 
of  an  enlightened  electorate.  In  full  security  and  confidence  of  its  final 
decision  we  rest  our  case.  (Applause) 

THE  CHAIHMAN :  I  know  you  have  all  been  interested  in  the  very  able 
paper  which  we  have  just  had  presented  and  will  have  a  few  questions 
about  it  later.  Now  we  will  hear  from  Mr.  Marcus  Schaff,  State  Forester 
of  Michigan,  on  the  subject  of  "State  Nurseries."  (Applause) 

MR.  MARCUS  SCHAAF:  Mr.  Chairman,  and  gentlemen:  If  forests 
are  to  be  grown,  and  in  our  opinion  they  will  be  grown  but  for  obvious 
reasons  only  or  at  least  principally  by  the  state  and  federal  governments, 
then  the  forest  nursery  is  an  important  consideration  in  any  state  forest 
policy  worthy  of  the  name.  The  primary  object  of  such  a  nursery  should  be 
twofold.  First,  to  insure  an  unfailing  supply  of  dependable  planting  stock 
of  the  proper  species  and  classes  needed  in  the  systematic  reforestation  of 
the  state  forests,  assuming  of  course  that  the  state  already  has  or  is  to 
acquire  acreage  for  that  purpose.  Second,  to  be  able  to  furnish  the  neces- 
sary material  for  the  planting  of  private  holdings,  not  for  ornamental 
effect  but  only  for  acreage  planting  with  a  view  to  the  production  of  timber. 
Ornamental  planting  is  more  or  less  of  a  luxury  little  affecting  public 
welfare,  but  to  encourage  as  far  as  possible  reforestation  of  private  lands 
on  a  commercial  basis  the  state  can  well  afford  to  provide  suitable  stock 
at  moderate  prices  to  those  desiring  it.  Under  no  circumstances,  however, 
is  it  deemed  advisable  to  distribute  it  free  of  cost. 

In  making  provision  for  the  production  of  planting  stock  on  a  large 
scale  for  use  over  a  wide  range  of  territory  a  choice  of  two  plans  is  ad- 
visable. One  is  to  have  a  single  large  nursery,  located  somewhat  centrally 
with  respect  to  the  region  to  be  supplied,  in  which  all  of  the  work  is  cen- 
tralized and  from  which  all  material  is  distributed  to  the  various  points 
of  consumption  as  needed.  The  other  plan  involves  the  establishment  of 
individual  and  smaller  nurseries,  one  in  each  of  the  localities  to  be  planted 
such  as  the  different  state  forests,  or  separate  districts  each  of  which  in- 
cludes a  number  of  forests  within  easy  reach.  There  are  objections  as 
well  as  advantages  in  either  of  these  arrangements. 


7(5 

The  principal  points  in  favor  of  the  single  central  nursery  are  that  all 
of  the  operations  are  centered  at  one  place  and  under  one  head,  therefore 
resulting  in  better  supervision,  greater  uniformity  of  stock  and  lesser  cost 
of  production  per  unit.  Less  initial  investment  is  required  for  major 
equipment  The  outlay  on  this  account  for  a  small  station  is  comparatively 
heavy  and  it  goes  without  saying  that  a  large  establishment  can  be  equipped 
more  cheaply  than  can  a  number  of  smaller  similar  ones.  Consolidation 
and  large  output  mean  cheaper  production.  Nursery  work  is  intensive  and 
highly  specialized  and  as  such  demands  close  and  constant  supervision  by 
one  well  versed  through  practical  experience  in  such  matters  if  success  is 
to  be  attained.  Consequently  one  large  nursery  under  the  supervision  of 
a  competent  man  will  be  better  managed  than  a  number  of  separate  places 
under  as  many  different  men.  And  above  all,  the  central  nursery  is,  if 
properly  located,  a  permanent  affair  whereas  the  others  are  in  their  very 
nature  more  or  less  temporary. 

On  the  other  hand  there  are  certain  drawbacks  that  are  inseparable 
from  the  central  nursery.  The  work  being  of  an  intensive  kind  and  there- 
fore requiring  much  labor,  there  is  the  possibility  when  operating  on  a  large 
scale  of  not  obtaining  sufficient  help  where  production  is  restricted  to  one 
place.  This  is  brought  to  mind  all  the  more  forcibly  when  we  realize  that 
state  forests  usually,  and  naturally,  are  located  in  sparsely  populated  dis- 
tricts. This  problem  may,  however,  be  largely  overcome  by  dividing  activ- 
ities as  much  as  possible  between  the  fall  and  spring  seasons.  The  central 
nursery  must  be  depended  upon  to  produce  all  the  stock  required  for  plant- 
ing not  only  in  the  immediate  vicinity  but  in  the  remoter  parts  of  the  state 
as  well.  This  involves  transportation  of  the  plants  over  long  distances, 
which  to  say  the  least  is  in  no  wise  conducive  to  their  betterment.  Then 
again  there  are  somewhat  greater  chances  of  infestations  of  dangerous 
diseases  where  the  tendency  is  to  overcrowd  or  confine  great  numbers 
on  small  areas.  Plants,  like  animals,  are  more  or  less  subject  to  epidemics 
where  extreme  congestion  occurs,  and  applicable  to  a  certain  extent  in  this 
case  is  the  old  adage  that  we  should  not  place  all  of  our  eggs  in  one  basket. 

Considering  the  alternative  of  a  system  of  individual  local  nurseries  the 
following  advantages  are  apparent.  The  work  is  distributed  and  the  diffi- 
culty of  securing  the  necessary  labor  diminishes  in  proportion.  The  place 
of  production  being  on  the  forest  itself,  the  stock  is  always  immediately 
at  hand  and  the  delays  and  possible  damage  incident  upon  transportation 
are  thus  eliminated.  Should  disaster  befall  any  one  of  the  nurseries 
through  any  cause,  there  are  the  others  to  fall  back  upon. 

This  same  plan  carries  with  it,  however,  a  number  of  decidedly  objec- 
tionable features.  The  matter  of  supervision  and  inspection  becomes  as 
scattered  as  are  the  nurseries  themselves.  The  area  of  each,  and  conse- 
quently the  output,  is  apt  to  be  so  small  as  hardly  to  justify  the  mainte- 
nance of  a  qualified  superintendent  in  each  case  and  without  such  super- 
vision, good  results  cannot  be  expected.  The  initial  investment  put  into 
a  place  of  small  producing  capacity  can  very  easily  be  made  to  exceed  be- 
yond reason  the  demands  to  be  met.  In  many  instances,  especially  on  the 
smaller  forests,  the  nursery  could  not  possibly  be  otherwise  than  temporary 
and  temporary  nurseries,  implying  lax  or  incompetent  supervision,  inade- 


qtiate  facilities  and  Haphazard  methods,  are  to  be  always  avoided.  All  of 
which  makes  for  either  high  cost  of  production  or  a  less  dependable  supply 
of  cheaper  stock  of  inferior  quality. 

Our  own  experience  leads  us  to  believe  that  the  establishment  of  one 
well-equipped,  permanent  nursery  suitably  located  is  by  far  the  more  ad- 
visable course  to  pursue.  Or  it  might  perhaps  be  good  policy  in  a  state 
where  extremes  of  soil,  climate  and  species  are  encountered,  to  effect  a 
compromise  and  have  two  permanent  nurseries,  one  to  supply  the  northern 
and  the  other  the  southern  half. 

After  deciding  upon  the  general  location,  due  attention  should  be 
given  to  the  selection  of  the  nursery  site  proper.  There  is  a  difference  of 
opinion  as  to  the  soil  best  adapted  for  the  purpose,  some  even  maintain- 
ing that  it  should  be  as  nearly  as  possible  identical  to  that  on  which 
the  trees  are  to  be  ultimately  set  Practice,  however,  does  not  bear  out 
this  theory  and  it  is  only  reasonable  to  suppose  that  a  healthy,  vigorous 
plant  grown  under  the  most  favorable  conditions  will  do  better  when 
transplanted  to  a  poorer  site  than  would  a  less  vigorous  one.  On  the  other 
hand  a  plant  less  favored  in  the  nursery  will  respond  noticeably  when 
transferred  to  a  better  soil  than  that  in  which  it  formerly  grew.  After 
all  the  soil  to  a  large  extent  serves  only  as  a  physical  supporter  for  the 
trees  and  by  supplying  in  the  way  of  fertilizers  the  elements  necessary  to 
their  development  good  stock  can  be  grown  in  any  properly  drained  soil. 
In  this  respect  more  attention  should  be  given  to  the  physical  condition 
of  the  soil  than  to  the  mere  question  of  fertility,  since  it  is  easily  possible 
and  entirely  practicable  to  supply  the  latter  whereas  adverse  physical 
conditions  cannot  always  be  remedied  and  often  only  at  great  expense.  A 
deep,  fresh,  porous,  sandy  loam  free  from  stones  and  easily  worked  is 
preferable.  It  should  have  thorough  and  rapid  natural  drainage.  Even  an 
extremely  light  sandy  but  well-drained  soil  is  far  safer  than  a  heavier 
and  more  fertile  one  affording  poor  or  at  best  slow  natural  drainage,  for 
in  any  case  water  can  be  provided  artificially  but  only  a  light  well-drained 
soil  will  itself  take  care  of  excess  precipitation.  Given  a  choice  therefore 
between  the  lightest  possible  soil  provided  with  water  and  a  heavy  agricul- 
tural soil  the  former  is  to  be  preferred.  This  applies  more  particularly  to 
nurseries  devoted  primarily  to  the  production  of  coniferous  species  but 
even  in  the  case  of  broad-leaved  species,  which  naturally  affect  a  more 
fertile  soil  and  which  will  undoubtedly  enter  into  reforestation  in  this 
region  to  a  considerable  if  not  a  preponderating  extent,  a  good  sandy  loam 
will  suffice  and  will  very  probably  be  not  much  inferior  to  the  best  soil 
that  will  ultimately  go  to  make  up  the  state  forests.  The  site  should  be 
level,  or  practically  so,  and  so  situated  as  to  permit  of  an  enlargement  in 
the  future  should  occasion  demand. 

An  absolutely  essential  part  of  any  well  managed  nursery  is  a  depend- 
able water  supply.  Whether  it  be  a  temporary  or  permanent  nursery  it  is 
poor  policy  to  depend  upon  rainfall.  One  should  be  wholly  independent  of 
this  by  installing  a  complete  irrigating  system  that  will  be  adequate  not 
only  for  the  present  but  for  all  future  needs.  An  underground  system  of 
pipes  through  which  the  water  is  delivered  to  hydrants,  or  possibly  overhead 
sprinklers,  is  considered  best  in  that  it  is  permanent,  does  not  interfere  with 


78 

operations,  eliminates  danger  of  damage  to  the  system  due  to  sudden 
changes  of  weather  and  brings  the  water  to  the  plants  at  a  more  equable 
temperature.  The  pipes  need  not  be  buried  below  frost  line  but  all  should 
be  laid  on  a  grade  sufficient  to  drain  them  thoroughly  in  winter.  Hydrants 
should  drain  underground  automatically  and  should  be  provided  at  fre- 
quent intervals. 

The  size  of  the  nursery  will  depend  entirely  upon  the  quantity  and 
classes  of  stock  that  are  required  annually.  Obviously  a  great  deal  more 
space  is  needed  for  growing  transplants  than  for  an  equal  number  of  seed- 
lings and  broad-leaved  species  as  a  rule  demand  considerably  more  room 
than  do  conifers.  Ordinarily  for  conifers  an  acre  of  ground  will  take  care 
of  from  thirty-five  thousand  to  one  hundred  twenty  thousand  transplants, 
depending  upon  the  length  of  time  they  are  to  remain  in  the  nursery  rows, 
whereas  the  same  area  devoted  to  the  production  of  seedlings  is  sufficient 
for  approximately  two  million  two-year  olds.  But  for  a  sustained  annual 
output  of  say  two  million  two-year  seedlings  twice  this  acreage  is  necessary 
since  the  trees  occupy  the  ground  for  a  period  of  two  years.  Likewise  with 
transplants  the  space  required  to  supply  any  given  quantity  per  annum 
is  dependent  upon  the  number  of  years  that  they  are  to  stand  in  the  nursery 
before  being  sent  to  the  field.  In  other  words  the  amount  of  growing  space 
to  be  provided  is  in  almost  direct  ratio  to  the  numbers  and  age  classes 
desired  annually.  It  is  well,  however,  to  allow  for  some  additional  ground 
so  that  some  portion  of  the  nursery  may  always  be  resting  under  beneficial 
cover  crops  so  regulated  that  the  entire  area  may  periodically  undergo  a 
complete  rotation. 

As  to  the  best  cultural  methods  to  be  employed  in  the  nursery  no  general 
rules  can  be  given  that  will  apply  to  all  alike.  So  much  depends  upon  the 
latitude,  the  site,  the  species  to  be  raised,  and  like  conditions.  The  ques- 
tion therefore  becomes  more  or  less  of  a  local  one,  best  met  and  solved 
through  practice  and  experience  in  each  individual  case.  Even  with  two 
nurseries  where  almost  identical  conditions  obtain,  the  same  methods  may 
produce  quite  different  results,  or  putting  it  another  way,  the  employment 
of  opposite  methods  may  lead  to  entirely  satisfactory  results.  The  per- 
sonal element  enters  very  largely  into  the  degree  of  success  attained.  In  our 
own  work  we  have  found  that  discontinuance  of  a  number  of  practices,  at 
one  time  generally  considered  as  prerequisites  to  success,  has  brought  about 
marked  improvements.  Practically  all  of  our  seeding  is  now  done  in  the 
fall,  whereas  spring  sowing  was  formerly  the  rule.  We  no  longer  make 
use  of  shades  for  shade's  sake,  and  the  stock  is  none  the  worse  off  for  lack 
of  it.  Mulch  in  every  form  has  been  dispensed  with  and  a  considerable 
item  of  labor  thereby  avoided,  to  say  nothing  of  the  subsequent  beneficial 
effects  upon  the  plants.  And  all  of  these  innovations  combined  have  ap- 
parently led  to  the  total  elimination  of  the  dread  disease  known  as  damping- 
off.  Originally,  as  was  the  custom,  we  attempted  to  combat  this  disease 
by  the  application  of  fungicides  as  a  preventive  but  with  only  mediocre 
results.  Now  we  feel  that  we  can  control  it  entirely  by  the  simple  cul- 
tural methods  mentioned  above.  We  are  also  tending  more  and  more 
towards  greater  intensiveness  in  all  lines  of  nursery  work  believing  it  to 
be  economy  to  do  so  on  the  assumption  that,  other  things  being  equal,  the 


79 

more  that  is  put  into  it  the  more  will  be  gotten  out.  As  an  instance  of  this 
all  ground  preparation  is  now  done  by  hand.  Plowing  is  no  longer  permitted 
and  a  horse  is  not  allowed  in  the  nursery,  all  of  the  ground  being  carefully 
spaded.  We  do  not,  however,  mean  to  convey  the  impression  that  this 
same  mode  of  procedure  would  necessarily  work  out  as  satisfactorily  in 
other  regions. 

Time  will  not  permit  us  to  enter  into  the  details  of  the  various  nursery 
operations,  nor  is  that  deemed  appropriate  here.  We  have  therefore  merely 
touched  upon  what  appears  to  us  to  be  the  outstanding  features  to  be  con- 
sidered in  the  establishment  and  management  of  state  forest  nurseries. 
(Applause) 

THE  CHAIRMAN :  I  notice  we  have  all  been  interested  in  this  paper 
because  we  want  to  know  more  about  nurseries.  I  feel  that  we  are  only 
in  our  infancy  along  this  line.  Now,  to  me  the  next  subject  on  our  program 
is  the  most  interesting  one  that  we  have.  I  refer  to  the  subject  "Acquisi- 
tion of  Lands  for  State  Forests."  This  was  the  subject  given  to  Mr.  I.  C. 
Williams,  Deputy  Commissioner  of  Forestry  of  Pennsylvania.  I  hope  some 
good  suggestions  that  we  can  use  in  Indiana  will  come  out  from  his 
paper.  (Applause) 

MR.  I.  C.  WILLIAMS:  Mr.  Chairman,  ladies  and  gentlemen,  in  pre- 
senting this  subject  to  you,  (I  shall  take  the  liberty  occasionally  to  refer  to 
some  of  the  experiences  of  my  own  state  and  have  brought  with  me  a  map 
of  Pennsylvania.  The  black  patches  upon  it  represent  the  present  Penn- 
sylvania state  forests.  The  scale  of  the  map  is  six  miles  to  the  inch.  This 
map  will  give  you  some  idea  of  the  size  of  some  of  our  tracts.) 

In  any  discussion  involving  a  policy  of  land  purchase  for  forest  uses, 
obviously  what  first  commands  attention  is  some  kind  of  land  classification. 
For  the  present  purpose  it  is  proposed  to  divide  all  lands  into  two  classes, 
agricultural  and  non-agricultural,  or  farm  land  and  forest  land,  it  being 
pretty  well  understood  by  this  time  that  all  soil  not  suited  for  growing 
farm  crops  is  or  may  possibly  be  made  suitable  for  growing  a  forest  crop. 
Within  the  class  forest  land  we  will  regard  included  all  forms  of  barrens, 
moors,  wastes,  undrained  swamps,  rocky  areas,  as  well  as  the  better  moun- 
tain and  upland  soil,  either  too  steep,  too  high,  or  too  poor  for  productive 
agriculture. 

To  determine  what  lands,  then,  are  absolute  forest  or  relative  forest, 
in  such  states  as  the  three  represented  in  this  conference,  may  not  be  an 
easy  task.  In  the  Appalachian  region  to  the  east  or  in  the  Rocky  moun- 
tain region  to  the  west,  the  problem  is  much  simpler;  but  where  the  land 
is  generally  level,  or  slightly  ridged  by  low  hills,  where  extended  -bodies  of 
woodland  no  longer  exist,  and  where  the  farm  woods  are  gradually  melting 
away,  the  question  is  reduced  to  a  nice  balancing  between  the  demands  of 
the  population  on  the  one  hand,  for  the  products  of  the  farm,  and  on 
the  other,  for  the  products  of  the  forest.  That  we  must  have  both,  and 
in  increasing  quantities,  goes  without  saying,  else  there  would  be  no 
need  for  such  a  meeting  as  this. 

It  would  therefore  seem  that  a  logical  approach  to  the  subject  would 
be  by  some  kind  of  survey  and  report,  made  by  a  properly  constituted  state 
authority,  now  existing  or  to  be  created  for  the  purpose,  equipped  with 


80 

men  and  means,  and  unhampered  by  any  other  consideration  than  the 
immediate  business  in  hand.  No  doubt  there  already  exists  a  large 
amount  of  data  in  each  of  the  states,  gathered  in  the  past  by  agricultural 
geological,  or  topographic  surveys,  and  easily  adapted  to  the  reeds  of  the 
new  effort.  The  land  which  is  agricultural  will  readily  separate  from  that 
which  is  forest.  It  is  with  the  areas  which  lie  between  where  the  greatest 
doubt  arises.  But  a  final  disposal  of  the  middle  class  lands  need  not  im- 
mediately be  made.  Set  aside  by  purchase  or  other  means,  the  land  deter- 
mined to  be  forest.  Begin  a  careful  system  of  administration,  protection, 
and  development,  guided  by  the  principles  of  scientific  and  practical  for- 
estry, and  within  a  reasonable  time  it  will  be  apparent  whether  any  state 
has  too  little  forest  land  for  its  present  and  immediate  future  needs.  Upon 
this  determination  it  may  rest  the  necessity  of  reachng  out  for  the  middle 
lands  and  forcing  them  into  the  class  of  absolute  forest 

Among  all  the  lands  which  may  be  set  aside,  widely  varying  conditions 
will  be  met.  There  will  be  large  areas  and  small  areas,  cleared  and  cul- 
tivated lands  of  good  quality  surrounded  by  forest,  drainage  conditions 
favorable  or  unfavorable,  valuable  mineral  deposits  which  have  been  sold 
outright  or  for  the  removal  of  which  leases  may  be  outstanding.  Timber 
cover  may  be  adequate,  scanty,  or  none,  values  may  be  low  and  prices  high, 
and  titles  clouded  or  uncertain. 

Should  it  become  necessary  so  to  increase  the  forested  area  that  some 
of  the  lands  we  have  called  middle  must  be  brought  in,  this  might  be  accom- 
plished by  a  system  looking  to  the  establishment  of  ratable  areas  of  farm 
woods.  Upon  many  farms  now  not  furnished  with  a  tract  of  woods,  there 
will  be  quarter  and  half  acres,  up  to  ten  or  more  acres,  where  pasturage 
might  be  temporarily  discontinued  and  a  woody  growth  started.  Existing 
farm  woods  may  be  strengthened,  and,  in  the  aggregate,  a  large  area  thus 
added  to  the  woodlands  of  the  state.  At  all  events  without  state  action, 
every  farm  should  have  a  piece  of  woodland  for  domestic  needs ;  and  while 
it  might  be  difficult  to  persuade  a  farm  owner  to  plant  a  highly  productive 
acre  with  red  oak  or  tulip  poplar,  yet  considerations  of  state  policy  accom- 
panied by  state  action  may  make  it  necessary  to  require  that  it  be  done. 

It  is  more  than  probable  that  the  foregoing  may  be  found  as  conditions, 
modified,  of  course,  in  practically  all  our  states,  and  must  be  considered  in 
every  purchase.  They  are  certainly  true  for  Pennsylvania  and  constantly 
occur  in  the  experience  of  the  writer. 

The  history  of  the  origin  of  our  land  titles  shows  a  wide  variance.  The 
titles  to  land  in  the  three  states  here  met  in  conference  are  derived  through 
an  act  of  the  Continental  Congress,  the  Ordinance  of  1787,  preceded  by 
grants  to  the  United  States  of  various  state  claims ;  while  those  for  Penn- 
sylvania are  through  the  English  grant  to  William  Penn  in  1682,  the 
various  treaties  with  the  Indians  and  conveyances  from  tribal  chiefs  the 
will  of  William  Penn,  who  died  in  1718,  and  the  Divesting  Act  of  the  Penn- 
sylvania Legislature  of  1779,  by  which,  in  consideration  of  £130,000, 
accepted  by  the  Penn  heirs,  the  title  of  the  heirs  to  the  whole  of  what  is 
now  that  state,  became  vested  in  the  commonwealth. 

In  proposing  a  form  of  government  for  his  colony,  Penn  outlined  "Cer- 
tain Conditions  or  Concessions"  and  in  Article  XVIII  thereof  he  states: 


81 

"That  in  clearing  the  ground  care  be  taken  to  leave  one  acre  of  trees 
for  every  five  acres  cleared,  especially  to  preserve  oak  and  mulberries,  for 
silk  and  shipping."  It  will  thus  be  seen  that  the  seed  of  practical  forestry 
was  sown  in  the  virgin  soil  of  Pennsylvania  at  its  birth  as  an  English 
colony ;  and  to  those  of  us  who  now  live  there  it  is  a  matter  of  lasting 
regret  that  the  wise  injunction  of  the  founder  was  disregarded  for  two 
hundrded  years. 

Knowing  conditions  best  as  we  have  them  in  Pennsylvania,  I  crave  your 
indulgence  if  the  methods  in  use  there  for  making  state  forest  purchases 
be  used  as  an  illustration.  The  state  of  Pennsylvania  is  traversed  from 
.  northeast  to  southwest  by  the  Appalachian  mountains.  It  contains  an 
area  a  little  less  than  thirty  million  acres.  Roughly  we  divide  the  state 
into  three  parts,  of  which  the  mountains  and  their  foothills  occupy  about 
one-third  or  a  little  less  than  ten  million  acres,  most  of  which  is  absolute 
forest  land.  Another  part,  or.  about  ten  million  acres,  is  wholly  agricultural. 
The  remainder,  or  a  little  less  than  ten  million,  is  of  that  in  between  class 
almost  too  good  for  forest  and  too  poor  for  agriculture.  The  areas  of 
cities,  towns,  lakes,  and  rivers  are  also  included  in  this  class. 

When  the  real  forestry  program  started,  about  1876,  attention  was 
directed  to  conditions  at  the  heads  of  the  larger  streams.  The  people 
first  became  convinced  that  better  stream  flow  meant  better  forest  cover 
on  the  upper  watersheds.  All  this  great  hilly  and  mountainous  area,  pre- 
viously covered  with  heavy  frost,  was  rapidly  being  uncovered  by  lumbering, 
with  no  attention  given  to  regeneration  or  protection  from  fire.  A  Division 
of  forestry  was  created  in  the  newly  organized  Agricultural  Department 
in  1895. 

The  earliest  acts  passed  by  the  Assembly  for  the  purchase  of  lands  for 
State  Forests,  or  forestry  reservation,  as  they  were  then  called,  were  of 
the  session  of  1897  and  were  two  in  number.  The  first  provided  for  the 
purchase  of  land  sold  for  unpaid  taxes  and  the  second  for  the  establishment 
of  reservations  of  forty  thousand  acres  each  upon  the  drainage  areas  of 
the  three  largest  river  systems,  the  Delaware,  the  Susquehanna,  and  the 
Ohio.  The  explanation  given  in  the  Act  itself,  for  the  passage  of  the  first 
statute,  was,  "the  preservation  of  the  water  supply  at  the  sources  of  the 
rivers  of  the  state  and  for  the  protection  of  the  people  of  the  common- 
wealth and  their  property  from  destructive  floods."  In  that  day  everything 
had  to  be  explained  in  advance,  and  we  have  not  yet  wholly  passed  beyond 
that  stage.  The  second  statute  carried  the  right  of  eminent  domain,  giving 
power  to  seize  lands  suitable  for  the  establishment  of  the  reserved  areas, 
could  they  be  obtained  in  no  other  way.  It  may  be  noted  in  passing  that 
it  has  never  yet  been  necessary  to  invoke  the  aid  of  this  extraordinary 
means  of  acquisition. 

Purchase  at  tax  sales  was  made  to  the  extent  of  over  sixty  thousand 
acres.  About  one-half  of  it  was  subsequently  redeemed.  Lands  acquired 
by  these  means  are  usually  correct  forest  areas,  but  you  are  never  certain 
of  your  holdings.  The  right  of  redemption,  if  exercised,  will  break  up  the 
continuity  of  tracts.  I  think  we  all  agree  that  forestry  is  best  practiced, 
most  economically  administered,  with  large  solid  bodies  of  land.  At 
present,  tax  sale  purchases  in  Pennsylvania  have  almost  ceased.  Wild, 


unseated,  mountain  land  is  looked  upon  as  having  greater  value  than 
formerly,  and  the  owners  are  paying  taxes  promptly.  Twenty  years  ago, 
in  certain  counties,  the  treasurer's  biennial  tax  sale  advertisement  in  the 
local  newspapers  frequently  covered  a  page.  Today,  in  the  same  coun- 
ties, it  runs  to  less  than  half  a  column. 

Purchases  on  the  watersheds  of  the  principal  rivers  proceeded  rapidly 
in  the  acquisition  of  private  holdings,  but  before  the  prescribed  area  of 
forty  thousand  acres  had  been  obtained  upon  each  of  the  watersheds 
named,  the  Department  of  Forestry  was  created  by  the  legislature  of 
1901,  and  is  now  a  constituent  branch  of  the  state  government. 

The  Department  of  Forestry  consists  of  a  Forest  Commission  of  five 
members,  of  which  body  the  Commissioner  of  Forestry  is  one.  The  sub- 
divisions at  present  are  ten  in  number,  each  headed  by  a  forester  or  special- 
ist. Any  suitable  tracts  of  land  may  be  purchased  in  any  county,  the  test 
being  its  fitness  for  forest  culture.  The  price  to  be  paid  was  limited  at 
first  to  five  dollars  per  acre,  but  has  since  been  raised  to  ten  dollars. 
Where  conditions  relating  to  re-foresting  and  betterment  of  stand  may  be 
improved,  timber  may  be  sold.  As  a  result  of  timber  and  mineral  sales, 
made  from  what  for  the  most  part  is  abandoned  land  and  decrepit  timber 
left  by  the  old-time  lumbering,  the  department  had  paid  into  the  state 
treasury  $195,789.42. 

In  procuring  forest  land  for  state  purposes,  the  first  consideration  is 
that  it  be  forest  land.  Occasionally  small  areas  of  cleared,  or  formerly 
cleared,  land,  but  now  chiefly  abandoned  for  farming  purposes,  will  be 
included.  These  few  acres  are  useful  for  many  purposes,  the  chief  being 
that  they  afford  living  places  for  forest  officers.  All  deals  and  negotiations 
are  preferred  to  be  had  directly  with  the  owners.  The  department  employs 
no  agents  to  seek  out  lands  and  does  not  desire  to  deal  through  agents. 
Lands  have  been  and  are  now  being  offered  in  abundance.  All  offers  must 
be  made  in  writing.  If  there  is  seeming  suitability  an  examination  is 
directed  and  made. 

Because  the  state  is  in  the  market  to  buy  land,  some  owners  think 
fancy  prices  should  be  paid.  They  even  at  times  try  to  exert  political 
pressure  to  accomplish  their  end.  Nothing  counts  with  the  Department  of 
Forestry  except  actual  values  for  forest  purposes,  and  the  value  is  deter- 
mined by  the  prior  examination,  having  due  regard  to  soil,  water,  timber 
and  location.  What  is  determined  to  be  the  real  value  is  included  in  the 
form  of  a  counter  offer  to  the  owner.  If  declined  by  him  the  matter  is  at 
an  end.  If  accepted,  there  follows  the  formal  contract  of  purchase  and  sale, 
duly  acknowledged  by  the  owner,  so  that  if  necessary  the  contract  may 
be  placed  on  record. 

Following  the  execution  of  the  contract  is  the  title  examination.  The 
Department  has  been  singularly  successful  and  fortunate  in  this  part  of  its 
work.  All  title  work  is  done  by  a  regularly  incorporated  title  company, 
whose  expert  examiners  are  the  best  in  the  state.  Pennsylvania  uses  the 
old  common  law  forms  of  title,  and  the  unseated  land  titles  are  among  the 
most  complicated  and  difficult  of  the  kind. 

The  title  work  is  closed  by  a  report  of  the  examiner,  certifying  a  clear 
title,  if  it  be  so,  otherwise  pointing  out  all  defects,  which  must  be  remedied 


83 

by  the  owner  before  conveyance  can  be  accepted.  Sometimes  the  depart- 
ment waives  defects  of  record,  should  they  have  an  expiration  of  limitation, 
or  otherwise  in  no  way  affect  marketability.  Occasionally  it  becomes  nec- 
essary to  have  tracts  sent  back  to  tax  sale  to  clear  title,  a  process  requiring 
from  three  to  five  years. 

The  title  made  right,  there  follows  the  formal  conveyance  by  deed  of 
general  warranty,  payment  by  the  owner  of  all  taxes  due,  payment  of  the 
consideration  money,  and  recording  the  deed,  which  vests  an  indefeasible 
title  in  the  commonwealth. 

When  the  state  of  Pennsylvania  originally  granted  lands  to  individuals 
in  severalty,  it  did  so  by  "warrants",  which  name  has  now  come  to  be 
used  for  the  tract  of  land  involved,  as  well  as  for  the  legal  process.  Full 
warrants  are  definitely  of  record  in  the  general  land  office,  by  metes  and 
bounds,  with  location  definitely  fixed.  Since  the  state  parted  with  its  lands 
by  warrant  areas,  plus  an  allowance  of  six  per  cent,  for  roads,  it  now  buys 
them  back  only  in  the  same  way.  For  this  reason  no  prior  survey  on  the 
ground  is  necessary  to  determine  acreage,  except  in  the  case  of  partial 
warrants,  where  a  survey  and  draft  will  be  furnished  by  the  owner,  sub- 
ject to  the  test  of  the  department's  engineering  division. 

The  foregoing  careful  method  of  purchase  has  resulted  in  an  almost 
total  absence  of  title  suits.  The  fact  is  that  only  two  such  suits  have  ever 
been  brought  and  both  were  determined  by  the  courts  in  favor  of  the 
state.  In  states  where  titles  are  founded  upon  recent  government  surveys, 
and  where  public  abstract  of  title  officers  are  maintained,  all  this  is  much 
simpler. 

Any  program  involving  a  policy  of  land  purchase  for  state  forest  pur- 
poses must  of  necessity  look  to  several  elements  of  far  greater  future  value 
than  present  importance.  One  of  these  is  timber.  Wood  products  are 
being  called  for  in  ever  increasing  quantities,  outrunning  the  supply,  with 
prices  keeping  pace,  and  the  great  wood  storehouses  thousands  of  miles 
away.  For  this  reason  there  is  an  appeal  to  all  of  us  to  grow  our  own 
wood  in  our  own  back  yards,  as  it  were.  Why  not?  We  have  the  land, 
or  can  get  it.  It  will  never  be  cheaper,  probably,  than  it  now  is,  and  the 
need  for  a  beginning  is  immediate. 

The  state  of  Pennsylvania  has  thus  far  bought  outright  1,047,626  acres, 
for  which  it  has  paid  the  sum  of  $2,389,542.55,  or  an  average  price  of  about 
$2.25  an  acre.  At  least  this  much  more  has  been  spent  in  administration, 
protection,  planting,  fixed  charges,  and  general  development.  But  the 
present  value  of  this  great  estate  is  at  least  from  twelve  to  fifteen  millions 
of  dollars.  The  policy  of  the  state  is  to  increase  these  holdings  to  at  least 
six  million  acres. 

Another  element  of  immense  future  value  is  water  power  from  streams 
on  state  holdings.  An  increase  in  the  density  of  timber  cover  means 
better  and  steadier  stream  flow.  No  kind  of  power  is  so  cheap  as  water 
power.  The  increasing  price  of  coal  may  very  soon  force  a  resort  to  this 
too  long  neglected  source  of  energy.  In  addition  to  being  an  inexpensive 
source  of  permanent  power,  it  can  best  be  controlled  or  utilized  in  state 
ownership  or  under  complete  state  control.  For  this  reason  alone  large 
purchases  of  land  by  the  states  are  justified. 


84 

A  third  element  which  holds  direct  relationship  to  all  the  people  and 
which  cannot  be  ignored  relates  to  health  and  recreation.  Year  by  year 
more  individuals  and  families  seek  the  open  woods  for  vacation  purposes, 
and  to  these  must  be  added  the  great  numbers  of  honest  hunters  and  fisher- 
men who  -work  hard  fifty  weeks  in  the  year  that  they  may  enjoy  two 
weeks  of  real  life  next  to  the  ground  in  some  great  open  woodland  area. 
Nowhere  may  this  recreation  be  had  with  less  expenditure  of  money  and 
energy  than  in  state-owned  land,  and  being  the  people's  land  they  should 
have  the  right  so  to  use  it.  All  this  may  be  done  without  interfering  in 
any  way  with  the  use  of  the  land  for  timber  production  or  power. 

It  would  therefore  seem  to  be  sound  economic  policy  for  the  three 
states  here  represented  to  determine  at  once  some  comprehensive  plan  for 
state  ownership  and  state  regulation  of  land  for  public  uses,  adapted  to 
their  respective  conditions.  The  time  to  do  it  is  now.  The  insistency  of 
the  demand  is  such  that  delay  is  but  deferring  the  problem,  more  easy  of 
solution  now  than  later  when  the  pressure  will  be  greater  and  the  competi- 
tion more  intense.  You  will  no  doubt  find  it  more  difficult  to  accomplish 
the  result  among  the  level  farm  lands  of  these  states  than  would  be  the 
case  on  the  Atlantic  seaboard  or  in  the  Rockies,  but  the  greater  the  obstacles 
the  greater  the  victory  in  overcoming  them.  It  may  be  necessary  and  ex- 
pedient to  apply  here  in  the  first  instance  a  form  of  state  regulation  for 
privately  owned  woodlands,  as  is  proposed  in  the  plan  of  my  good  friend 
Colonel  Graves.  It  may  amount  to  an  expropriation  of  all  suitably  located 
private  woodland  holdings,  placing  them,  if  not  at  once  into  state  owner- 
ship, at  least  under  state  management  and  control ;  and  all  this  on  the 
theory  that  the  interest  of  the  public  is  paramount.  Should  such  conduct 
seem  like  an  invasion  of  the  sanctity  of  old-time  private  rights,  we  must 
remember  that  new  problems  demand  new  solutions  and  the  precedents  of 
the  past  may  not  always  be  found  to  be  safe  guides  for  the  future.  (Ap- 
plause) 

THE  CHAIRMAN:  As  I  said  before,  I  was  very  interested  in  Mr. 
Williams'  paper  although  I  notice  that  conditions  in  Pennsylvania  are  quite 
different  from  those  in  our  part  of  the  country,  but  I  feel  as  though  he  has 
made  a  number  of  suggestions  that  we  can  use.  Now  this  is  open  for  dis- 
cussion but  the  hour  is  very  late. 

LT.-COL.  GRAVES :  I  feel  that  these  papers  and  the  whole  subject 
should  be  discussed  pretty  freely  and  thoroughly  at  this  time  and  I  suggest 
if  we  do  not  have  time  for  discussion  now  that  we  meet  here  promptly  at 
two  o'clock  and  take  these  subjects  up  before  we  proceed  with  the  program 
of  the  afternoon. 

THE  CHAIRMAN :  If  this  is  agreeable  to  you,  gentlemen,  that  is  what 
we  will  do.  And  now  I  want  to  say  just  a  few  words  in  regard  to  Pro- 
fessor Stanley  Coulter,  who  will  address  us  this  afternoon.  He  is  a  mem- 
ber of  our  board  of  whom  we  are  extremely  proud.  He  probably  knows 
more  about  forestry  than  any  other  member  of  our  board.  He  is  not  pres- 
ent this  morning,  so  I  feel  free  to  say  these  things  about  him— he  has 
something  worth  while  to  say  to  us,  something  of  interest,  and  so  I  want 
all  of  you  to  hear  him  this  afternoon. 

Some  announcements  were  made  by  Mr,  Lfeber. 


85 

THURSDAY  AFTERNOON  SESSION. 

The  meeting  was  called  to  order  at  2  :00  o'clock. 

SENATOR  GUTHRIE :  We  have  had  representatives  from  Illinois  and 
from  our  own  state  presiding  at  our  meeting  and  now  I  am  going  to  call 
on  one  from  Ohio — Mr.  Secrest,  will  you  preside  at  our  session  this  after- 
noon? 

Mr.  Secrest  took  the  chair. 

THE  CHAIRMAN:  We  had  an  interesting  session  this  morning  and 
according  to  a  suggestion  which  was  made  just  before  we  adjourned  for 
lunch,  we  will  now  give  some  time  to  discussion  of  the  subjects  presented 
this  morning.  I  hope  you  will  feel  free  to  discuss  these  subjects  quite 
thoroughly. 

PROFESSOR  COULTER:  A  great  part  of  the  work  was  about  the 
proper  management  and  care  of  woodland.  How  do  you  provide  for  the 
expenses  of  that?  Does  the  department  pay  it? 

THE  CHAIRMAN:  In  the  case  of  woodlots  the  state  has  paid  the 
expenses.  In  the  case  of  timber  estimates,  the  traveling  expenses  are  paid 
by  the  owner.  It  may  be  questionable  whether  or  not  this  is  the  proper 
thing  to  do,  but  it  seemed  the  best  to  us.  How  far  it  will  be  carried  out, 
I  don't  know. 

PROF.  COULTER:     What  appropriation  have  you? 

THE  CHAIRMAN :  We  have  about  twenty-six  thousand  dollars  a  year. 
It  is  a  lump  sum  which  we  handle  as  we  please  as  far  as  instructional  and 
investigational  work  is  concerned. 

MR.  FORBES :  I  would  like  to  inquire  of  Mr.  Lieber  if  I  understood 
him  correctly  when  he  said  the  maximum  price  of  some  of  the  forest  land 
secured*  was  ten  dollars  per  acre.  I  don't  know  of  any  ten  dollar  land  in 
Illinois. 

MR.  LIEBER :  We  have  recently  made  an  investigation  and  Mr.  Deam 
can  answer  you.  He  has  found  land  for  ten  dollars  an  acre  and  perhaps 
some  less  than  ten  dollars. 

MR.  DEAM :  Well,  my  experience  in  that  line  has  been  rather  limited. 
We  have  located  a  few  facts,  however,  about  six  hundred  acres  for  eight 
dollars  per  acre  and  one  owner  said  he  could  furnish  about  four  hundred 
acres  at  ten  dollars  per  acre.  But  in  many  parts  of  the  state  I  have  found 
that  you  can't  buy  any  land  of  any  type  for  less  than  twenty-five  or  fifty 
dollars. 

LT.-COL.  GRAVES :  You  mean  that  in  buying  land  to  work  out  a  sub- 
stantial program  the  prices  would  run  something  like  twenty -five  dollars? 

MR.  DEAM :  Yes.  There  is  quite  a  good  deal  of  the  land  in  the  valleys 
which  would  run  one  hundred  or  one  hundred  twenty-five  dollars.  This 
land  has  good  buildings  on  it,  however. 

MR.  MILLER:  I  think  we  have  land  for  thirty-five  dollars  or  fifty 
dollars. 

LT.-COL.  GRAVES:    Does  that  have  anv  Umber  on  It? 

MR,  MILLER :    Yes,  a  little. 


86 

MR.  SHEPARDSON:  There  is  one  kind  of  land  in  Illinois  which  is 
land  which  has  been  on  top  of  coal,  where  the  values  from  beneath  the 
soil  have  been  extracted  and  the  ground  at  present  lies  idle  and  looks  pretty 
desolated.  I  have  wondered  if  these  tracts  would  not  make  good  forest 
reservations. 

LT.-CAL.  GRAVES:  Mr.  Lieber,  you  said  in  your  paper  this  morning 
that  you  thought  that  the  forest  problems  of  these  three  states  would  have 
to  be  worked  out  largely  by  public  ownership.  Do  you  think  at  the  present 
prices  and  with  the  present  condition  of  the  state's  finances  it  would  be 
possible  to  get  enough  land  to  carry  out  that  idea  of  ours? 

MR.  LIEBER :  That  opens  a  very  large  subject.  It  is  a  matter  of 
figures.  If  the  land  goes  higher  than  fifteen  dollars  or  perhaps  twenty 
dollars,  it  is  not  practical  to  do  it  on  that  basis.  It  is  a  question  whether 
it  is  possible  to  buy  it  outright  and  make  it  profitable  or  whether  some 
other  financial  arrangement  will  have  to  be  made. 

LT.-COL.  GRAVES:  It  seems  to  me  that  if  it  is  a  feasable  thing  to 
acquire  lands  on  a  considerable  scale  that  it  would  be  a  desirable  thing 
for  all  of  these  three  states  definitely  to  work  for  a  policy  of  public 
ownership.  I  think  we  should  be  in  a  position  at  this  conference  to  reach 
a  conclusion  on  a  few  of  the  larger  points.  Colonel  Lieber  suggested  a 
method  of  organization  between  the  three  states  which  would  form  a 
splendid  basis  for  working  out  a  program.  I  should  like  to  go  on  record 
as  being  in  favor  of  a  policy  by  these  states  for  the  purchase  of  lands  to 
establish  state  forests  as  extensive  as  conditions  will  permit.  In  the  work- 
ing out  of  the  Weeks  law  of  purchases  by  the  government,  we  found 
that  a  good  many  of  the  objections  were  much  more  easily  overcome  than 
had  been  anticipated.  Of  course  we  had  a  very  large  country  to  draw 
upon  which  enabled  us  to  secure  lands  at  very  reasonable  prices.  Person- 
ally, I  believe  that  in  the  long  run  if  you  can  embark  a  policy  of  that  kind, 
if  you  don't  try  to  push  it  too  fast,  that  you  will  be  able  in  the  long  run 
to  obtain  lands  at  prices  which  would  be  well  worth  while  for  the  public — • 
in  the  form  of  receipts  or  in  general  public  benefits  which  can  be  very 
clearly  shown.  I  believe  that  you  can  work  it  out. 

We  have  found  that  every  tract  that  we  buy  is  a  center  of  co-operation 
and  interest  in  the  surrounding  country. 

THE  CHAIRMAN :  From  the  statements  made  here  regarding  Indiana 
and  Illinois,  Ohio  appears  to  be  radically  different.  When  we  first  pur- 
chased tracts  of  land,  we  had  land  we  could  get  from  three  to  five  dollars 
an  acre  and  some  from  eight  to  ten  dollars  an  acre.  I  don't  think  that  the 
price  of  lands  is  going  to  be  any  obstacle  at  all  in  the  way  of  acquiring  state 
forests  in  Ohio. 

MR.  WILLIAMS :  Someone  spoke  of  land  from  which  coal  had  been 
removed.  Why  not  purchase  only  the  surface  rights?  In  Pennsylvania 
we  have  endeavored  to  purchase  the  whole  title  and  up  to  the  present  time 
have  done  so. 

I  think  I  will  also  revert  to  the  question  of  Senator  Guthrie  raised  in 
regard  to  the  amount  of  money  we  are  using  in  Pennsylvania  to  carry  on 
our  forestry  work.  The  fact  is  that  at  the  session  of  the  legislature  in  1915J 


87 

they  gave  us  $619,700  for  two  years'  work.  In  1917,  $813,000.  The  ques- 
tion was  asked  as  to  where  the  money  comes  from.  We  do  not  grow  it  on 
trees.  A  certain  sum  of  money  is  set  aside  for  us, — definite  sums  for  defi- 
nite things.  I  have  a  statement  of  the  appropriations  for  1919 : 

Department  Administrative  Expenses   $  353,200 

Surveys    6,000 

Labor 190,000 

Purchase  of  Lands  130,000 

Materials,  Equipment,  etc 85,000 

Bureau  of  Forest  Protection 90,000 

Forest  Academy   ; 30,000 

District   Foresters 15,000 

School  Charges 43,000 

Road  Charges   43,000 

County   Charges    21,500 


$1,006,700 

LT.-COL.  GRAVES:  The  papers  this  morning  and  some  of  the  papers 
yesterday  afternoon  made  mention  of  co-operation  with  the  Federal 
Government.  I  am  referring  to  the  interests  of  these  three  states.  Just 
what  that  co-operation  should  be  was  not  specified.  Co-operating  with  the 
Federal  Government  in  meeting  this  problem  will  mean  that  there  is  a 
responsibility  on  the  part  of  these  states  in  connection  with  the  federal 
acivities  and  in  the  establishment  of  instructive  measures.  One  of  the 
things  which  can  be  done,  which  we  are  trying  to  do,  is  the  purchase 
of  lands  by  the  Federal  Government.  We  have  laid  out  a  program  in  the 
southern  Appalachians  of  about  a  million  acres.  We  believe  that  this 
program  is  much  too  small  for  the  public  needs  in  the  long  run.  We  have 
talked  a  good  deal  about  general  co-operation  with  the  Federal  Government. 
The  Federal  Government  is  to  be  able  to  co-operate  with  these  states  as 
well  as  other  states.  It  is  but  a  question  of  expressing  your  interest  and 
demand  co-operation  and  you  will  get  it.  If  the  public  don't  want  this,  it 
won't  be  forthcoming. 

THE  CHAIRMAN:  If  there  are  any  other  questions,  now  is  the  time 
to  ask  them. 

MR.  LIEBER :  May  I  suggest  we  begin  our  regular  program  because  we 
will  have  a  number  of  questions  to  come  up  after  our  papers  have  been 
delivered  this  afternoon. 

THE  CHAIRMAN :  We  will  proceed  with  our  afternoon  program.  We 
have  with  us  a  gentleman  who  has  been  connected  with  the  State  Board 
of  Forestry  ever  since  the  work  was  organized  in  Indiana.  It  gives  me 
pleasure  to  introduce  Prof.  Stanley  Coulter.  His  subject  is  "Forestry  Edu- 
cational Policies." 

PROF.  STANLEY  COULTER:  I  do  not  purpose  making  a  formal 
address  upon  this  subject,  since  I  feel  it  more  important  to  develop  a  discus- 
sion than  to  present  a  paper. 


88 

In  discussing  the  topic  we  should  remember  that  four  groups  are  to  be 
reached  and  that  the  method  of  attack  differs  with  the  group.  These 
groups  are  the  children  easily  reached  through  the  schools ;  the  woodland 
owner,  the  great  indifferent  and  inert  public  and  last  of  all  and  perhaps 
most  difficult  of  all,  the  law  makers  or  legislators. 

I  may  premise  by  saying  that  there  is  a  very  great  difference  between 
propaganda  and  education.  Propaganda  has  been  over-done  and  certainly 
has  far  outrun  knowledge.  We  have  in  the  office  of  the  state  Forester  rec- 
ords upon  some  hundreds  of  tree  plantings  in  the  state.  These  plantings 
cover  thousands  of  acres  and,  originally  at  least,  contained  hundreds  of 
thousands  of  trees.  It  is,  however,  a  conservative  statement  to  say  that 
85%  of  these  plantings  are  failures,  that  is,  that  the  sale  of  all  of  the 
product  at  the  highest  market  price  would  not  produce  an  amount  equal 
to  the  outlay. 

In  this  conference,  much  has  been  said  about  stimulating  interest  in 
forestal  problems.  I  think  that  at  one  time  there  may  have  been  a  need 
for  such  stimulus,  but  I  feel  that  time  has  passed  and  that  the  present 
need  is  for  education.  The  plantings  to  which  I  have  just  referred  show 
clearly  a  quick  reaction  to  the  stimulus ;  .the  failures  show  that  zeal  had 
far  outrun  knowledge  and  indicate  that  the  next  step  is  the  development 
of  some  educational  policies. 

Much  of  the  educational  work  so-called,  has  been  done  in  the  public 
schools  with  children.  In  every  instance  the  purpose  has  been  laudable, 
but  in  most  cases  the  methods  have  been  inadequate  and  the  results  un- 
satisfactory. Arbor  day  ceremonies  served  to  arouse  spasmodic  enthusiasm, 
but  with  all  of  the  Arbor  Day  plantings  the  school  yards  are  nearly  as 
destitute  of  trees  as  at  the  first  observance  of  the  day. 

Nature  study  promised  much  when  first  introduced  into  the  schools,  but 
it  soon  became  manifestly  purposeless  and  altogether  sentimental  in  so 
many  cases  that  it  is  to  be  regarded  as  of  doubtful  educational  value.  Its 
chief  fault  seems  to  lie  in  the  fact  that  as  administered  at  present,  it  seems 
to  have  no  objective  and  serves  in  the  main  as  a  means  of  relieving  the 
monotony  of  the  ordinary  school  duties.  At  the  same  time  I  believe  that  no 
more  valuable  educational  weapon  lies  within  our  grasp,  if  we  can  train 
ourselves  in  its  right  use. 

I  think  that  in  any  sound  Forestal  Educational  policy  we  should  see 
that  our  foundations  are  sufficiently  broad.  Forestry  is  after  all  but  one 
of  the  phases  of  the  far  greater  problem  of  the  conservation  of  our  natural 
resources.  The  mistake  has  been  made  in  almost  every  instance,  in  consid- 
ering it  as  a  thing  apart,  leaving  out  of  account  its  relations  to  a  great 
problem  which  in  some  of  its  phases  interests  every  one.  Much  of  the 
weakness  of  the  present  Forestal  Educational  policies  is  to  be  attributed  to 
the  fact  that  it  has  been  presented  from  too  narrow  a  viewpoint. 

The  form  and  content  of  the  subject  should,  it  seems  to  me,  be  worked 
out  in  the  main  by  the  people  who  teach,  after  consultation  with  the  people 
who  know.  Most  of  the  books  in  use  have  been  written  either  by  people 
who  can  teach  but  do  not  know  the  subject,  or  by  people  who  know  the 
subject  but  cannot  teach.  The  teaching  of  forestry  should  begin  in  the 
schools  in  order  that  the  next  generation  may  have  a  proper  appreciation 


89 

of  the  manifold  values  of  this  great  natural  resource.  If  this  is  done  we 
must  have  a  different  type  of  text-book  in  Forestry  for  the  graded  schools. 
Probably  the  main  appeal  of  such  texts  should  be  the  economic.  Sad  as  it 
may  seem,  this  is  apparently  the  most  successful  of  all  lines  of  attack. 
Whether  you  desire  to  have  a  bill  passed  by  the  legislature,  or  to  stir  a 
great  mass  of  people  to  action  you  practically  insure  success  by  working 
along  economic  lines.  It  is  almost  certain  that  if  educational  work  in 
Forestry  results  in  continued  interest  and  ultimately  develops  a  new 
mental  altitude  regarding  the  preservation  and  development  of  our  timbered 
areas,  it  must  have  underlying  it  this  economic  relation.  The  type  of 
work  that  should  be  done  lies  fairly  clear  in  my  mind.  There  are  many 
men  in  this  country  who  could  give  us  such  texts,  but  the  immediate  need 
is  to  realize  the  importance  of  centralizing  such  an  educational  movement 
if  we  hope  for  a  new  view-point  as  to  our  natural  resources  on  the  part 
of  the  next  generation. 

Educational  policies  as  they  relate  to  the  land  owner  are  of  quite  differ- 
ent sort.  He  should  be  taught  in  some  way  or  other  to  classify  his  land, 
separating  at  least  roughly  between  that  suitable  for  annual  crops  and  that 
suited  primarily  for  forestral  purposes.  He  should  be  encouraged  to  plant 
trees  in  such  areas  on  his  farm  and  should  be  advised  as  to  what  particular 
forms  he  should  use  in  his  particular  case.  We  have  not  watched  over  the 
land  owner's  interests  as  we  should.  We  have  awakened  his  interest 
in  tree  planting  and  then  left  him  at  the  mercy  of  any  tree  salesman  who 
might  visit  him.  We  have  left  him  in  utter  ignorance  of  the  ecologic  condi- 
tions necessary  for  the  successful  growth  of  the  different  species  of  eco- 
nomic trees. 

Again  there  should  be,  and  this  in  plain  untechnical  language,  instruc- 
tion in  estimating  the  value  of  his  timber  crop.  He  does  not  know  how 
many  thousands  of  board  feet  his  woodland  is  carrying  to  the  acre,  neither 
has  he  any  method  of  estimating  it ;  he  does  not  know  the  differing  values 
of  the  various  species  nor  the  modifications  in  their  values  due  to  size,  to 
«  defects,  or  distance  from  the  mill.  In  marketing  his  crop  he  must  rely 
wholly  upon  the  honesty  of  the  purchaser.  This  condition  does  not  obtain 
as  regards  any  other  land  product  and  until  it  is  remedied  but  little  pro- 
gress can  be  hoped  for  in  woodland  forestry.  Of  course,  bulletins  have 
been  issued  by  the  National  Forest  Service  and  by  the  states,  of  high 
value  to  those  who  can  carefully  study  them,  but  I  can  see  a  small  hand- 
book of  from  thirty  to  fifty  pages  which  would  do  more  in  the  effective 
education  of  the  woodland  owner  than  a  library  of  the  finely  scientific 
bulletins  which  have  so  greatly  aided  the  student  but  have  not  as  yet  met 
the  real  needs  of  the  landowner  in  any  practical  way.  Evidently  the  edu- 
cation of  the  landowner  is  one  of  the  most  important  features  in  any  sane 
forestal  educational  policy.  The  maintenance  of  existing  areas  in  any- 
thing approaching  a  normal  stand,  the  utilization  of  waste  areas  for  timber 
production,  the  increase  of  values  by  improving  the  quality  of  the  timber 
whether  by  silvi-cultural  methods  or  changing  the  proportion  of  the 
species  in  the  stand,  all  depend  on  such  education.  We  have  failed  to  give 
him  any  adequate  information  in  a  straightforward,  understandable  way 
as  to  the  length  of  his  investment  or  the  time  which  must  elapse  before 


90 

he  can  harvest  his  timber  crop.  Each  one  in  this  audience  has  been  asked 
scores  of  times  this  question :  "If  I  plant  trees  how  long  will  it  be  before 
they  are  post  size,  or  large  enough  to  market?"  The  average  man  is  not 
greatly  attracted  by  a  long  time  investment,  and  unless  we  can  educate 
him  to  believe  that  such  an  investment  is  desirable  because  of  its  safety  and 
the  certainty  of  its  ultimate  returns,  we  will  see  our  woodlands  not  only 
diminish  in  area  but  also  in  quality. 

Incidentally  the  landowner  should  be  made  to  understand  that  high 
grade  land  suitable  for  annual  crops  should  not  be  used  for  forestal  pur- 
poses. Only  the  other  day  a  man  asked  me  to  advise  him  as  to  what  trees 
to  plant  on  some  ten  or  twelve  acres  of  land  he  proposed  to  devote  to  that 
purpose.  When  asked  the  value  of  the  land  he  gave  it  as  one  hundred  and 
fifty  dollars  an  acre.  Of  course  the  answer  was  easy — plant  no  trees  on 
such  land,  raise  annual  crops.  I  could  take  you  to  catalpa  plantings  in 
this  state  on  land  worth  over  two  hundred  dollars  an  acre. 

Another  matter  should  be  emphasized  in  the  education  of  the  landowner 
and  that  is  the  impossibility  of  having  a  woodland  and  a  woods  pasture  on 
the  same  area.  A  perennial  question  is:  "Under  what  kind  of  trees  will 
bluegrass  grow?"  It  is  perhaps  too  much  to  hope  that  the  present  gener- 
ation of  landowners  will  get  away  from  the  conviction  that  "woodland" 
and  "woods  pasture"  are  not  synonymous  terms,  but  any  forestal  educational 
policy  should  provide  against  this  fatal  fallacy  being  carried  on  into  the 
next  generation.  The  other  day  I  asked  one  of  my  assistants  to  go  through 
all  of  the  bulletins  that  have  come  to  me  from  the  Forest  Service  and  look 
for  those  giving  directions  as  to  procedure  in  the  establishment  or  improve- 
ment of  woodlands.  He  looked  over  some  five  hundred  bulletins  and 
reported  there  were  none  bearing  upon  that  subject.  This  of  course  does 
not  prove  that  there  are  not  such  bulletins  but  it  does  indicate  that  they 
are  not  as  numerous  as  the  importance  of  the  subject  demands.  In  this 
field  again  the  forestal  educational  policy  should  be  centralized,  at 
least  to  the  extent  of  unifying  the  principles  laid  down  in  such  cases.  In 
any  event  a  nation-wide  campaign  emphasizing  certain  basic  practices  in 
successful  woodland  management  would  be  far  more  effective  than  the 
present  haphazard  method,  under  which  bulletins  issue  as  they  "happen" 
rather  than  in  accordance  with  a  definite  and  clearly  wrought  out  policy. 
In  a  word,  in  the  past  in  this  phase  of  forestal  endeavor  there  has  been 
too  much  propaganda  and  not  enough  education. 

The  great  mass  of  people  and  more  especially,  those  in  urban  com- 
munities are  not  especially  interested  in  forestry.  Points  of  contact  are 
relatively  remote  and  yet  before  any  very  great  advance  can  be  made 
these  uninterested  people  must  be  interested  and  made  apostles  of  a  new 
order.  One  of  the  best  methods  of  awakening  interest  is  through  an 
appeal  to  local  pride.  In  Indiana,  the  purchase  of^  Turkey  Run  park  and 
Spencer  park,  the  acquiring  of  the  State  Forest  Reserve,  the  agitation  for 
a  great  park  area  in  the  dune  region,  and  the  development  of  municipal 
parks  has  done  more  to  further  interest  in  forestry  than  all  other  agencies 
combined.  From  these  lesser  areas  with  restricted  use  to  the  larger  areas 
with  limitless  possibilities  is  an  easy  and  natural  step.  When  in  addition 
to  this  the  people  are  educated  to  a  realization  that  these  parked  and  for- 


91 

ested  areas  are  for  them,  for  their  pleasure  and  benefit,  the  problem  of  the 
education  of  the  people  is  solved. 

Of  course,  this  interest  must  be  kept  alive  by  a  proper  and  almost 
constant  publicity,  made  as  attractive  by  illustrations  and  other  devices 
as  is  possible.  Foresters  are  scientists  and  in  common  with  other  scien- 
tists are  much  to  blame  for  the  present  general  and  almost  appalling  lack 
of  interest  in  their  problems.  Their  method  of  attack  has  been  wrong,  and 
the  emphasis  has  very  often  been  wrongly  placed.  To  meet  this  need,  to 
awaken  this  interest,  educational  tools  must  differ  materially  from  those 
in  the  former  groups.  Here  also  the  need  of  a  centralizing  agency  is  evi- 
dent if  the  highest  efficiency  is  to  be.  secured.  Our  war  time  efforts  in 
financial  lines  have  amply  proven  the  efficiency  of  concerted  action  in  the 
securing  apparently  impossible  goals  in  an  almost  incredibly  short  time. 
A  sound  educational  policy  will  quickly  utilize  this  dynamic  fact  in  mass 
psychology. 

But  after  all  we  must  acknowldege  the  fact  that  no  very  great  advances 
over  existing  forestal  conditions  are  possible  unless  in  some  way  we  can 
educate  our  legislators.  The  men  who  constitute  our  legislatures  in  the 
main,  have  pledged  themselves  to  give  the  people  a  "business  administra- 
tion." Ordinarily  that  means  they  will  vote  against  every  bill  carrying 
an  appropriation  if  it  is  at  all  possible  to  find  the  slightest  justification 
for  so  doing,  and  where  they  are  compelled  by  circumstance  to  vote  affirm- 
tively  will  "trim  it  to  the  bone."  Now  forestal  advance  means  money 
and  it  means  money  from  the  state.  Money  for  acquiring  lands,  money 
for  the  purchase  of  parks,  money  for  the  forester  with  his  office  and 
field  force.  This  of  course,  means  that  legislators  should  be  educated  in 
such  a  way  that  they  can  see  the  economy  of  forestry.  As  a  rule,  these 
men  serve  only  a  term  or  at  most  three  or  four.  Our  educational  work 
must  therefore  be  intensive.  Further  it  must  focus  upon  one  point,  the 
economics  of  conservation  and  therefore  of  forestry.  It  might  even 
overemphasize  the  point  by  demonstrating  that  the  failure  to  pass  adequate 
forestal  appropriations  was  irrefutable  evidence  of  unwillingness  to  give 
the  people  a  "business  administration."  Such  work  would  necessarily  be 
done  through  compact  and  attractive  folders  or  bulletins,  which  would, 
however,  have  to  be  prepared  with  infinite  care  and  skill.  It  would 
be  easy  to  name  a  dozen  men  in  this  country  any  one  of  whom  could 
prepare  a  series  of  such  folders  or  bulletins  as  would  show  to  the  average 
legislature  the  economy  of  conservation  in  a  compelling  way.  This  work 
has,  in  the  past,  been  either  neglected  or  so  hastily  done  as  to  partially 
defeat  its  own  purpose.  Here  again  there  is  need  of  a  centralizing  or 
co-ordinating  body,  in  order  that  a  forceful  presentation  of  the  arguments 
in  favor  of  conservation  measures  may  be  made  in  every  state  in  which 
legislative  action  is  sought.  I  have -omitted  purposely  any  suggestion  as 
to  the  work  in  the  Forest  Schools  of  the  country.  This  work  as  we  all 
know  is  not  only  well  organized  but  is  in  most  cases  being  administered 
with  rare  skill.  These  schools  can  be  trusted  to  keep  pace  with  all 
forestal  advances.  Neither  have  I  spoken  of  the  training  of  the  forester 
himself,  although  personally  I  believe  the  effective  forester  will  be  found 
to  be  made  up  of  about  one-tenth  technical  skill  and  nine-tenths  common 


92 

sense.  I  have  only  sought  to  bring  to  your  attention  points  in  which  I 
felt  forestal  educational  methods  were  deficient  and  to  suggest  possible 
remedies.  From  my  point  of  view  the  vital  educational  work  at  the 
present  time  is  as  follows :  First,  with  the  children  or  the  outlook  for  the 
future;  second,  the  education  of  the  landowner  along  extremely  definite 
and  practical  lines ;  third,  the  education  of  the  general  public  to  the  end 
of  securing  a  far  wider  spread  interest,  and  fourth,  the  education  of  the 
legislator  in  order  that  he  might  have  a  firmer  and  more  intelligent  grasp 
upon  the  economies  of  conservation.  I  believe  some  such  plan  should  be 
worked  out  in  the  immediate  future,  and  that  the  organization  of  a  com- 
mittee to  formulate  forestal  educational  policies  should  be  considered  by 
the  Forest  Service.  (Applause) 

THE  CHAIRMAN :  We  are  very  glad  to.  have  with  us  this  afternoon 
Mr.  P.  S.  Ridsdale,  Editor  American  Forestry.  His  subject  is  "Forest 
Publicity."  (Applause) 

MR.  P.  S.  RIDSDALE :  Mr.  Chairman  and  gentlemen,  you  have  Colonel 
Graves'  remarks  about  the  necessity  of  public  participation  in  securing 
a  national  forest  policy,  you  have  heard  Mr.  Lieber  speak  of  educating 
the  public,  you  have  heard  Mr.  Coulter  speak  of  the  uneducated  public 
and  now  I  am  going  to  tell  you  how  to  help  educate  them  and  how  to 
get  their  co-operation.  All  of  you  know  without  being  told  of  the  value 
of  publicity.  You  all  know  that  it  was  publicity  that  helped  to  put  across 
the  big  Liberty  Loan  drives  and  Red  Cross  drives  and  War  Chest  drives 
and  every  other  kind  of  a  drive  during  the  great  war. 

I  just  noticed  a  clipping  in  a  paper  the  other  day  which  said  public 
matters  printed  in  newspapers  in  Indiana  alone,  received  the  attention  of 
five  or  six  million  people.  I  want  you  to  realize  that  the  newspapers  are 
perhaps  the  greatest  aid  to  publicity  that  can  be  found.  The  newspapers 
have  treated  the  various  phases  of  the  forest  situation  which  have  been 
fed  to  them  by  the  Agricultural  Department  in  an  editorial  way  as  well 
as  a  news  item.  I  can  go  on  quoting  for  hours  from  newspapers  which 
we  receive  day  after  day  and  in  them  you  will  find  the  trend  of  public 
opinion.  We  have  had  editorials  on  shade  tree  planting  and  all  kinds 
of  editorials  on  all  kinds  of  forestry  subjects.  I  can  tell  you  any  number 
of  stories  that  we  have  featured  that  have  helped  to  awaken  the  interest 
of  the  public  but  I  do  not  want  to  take  up  your  time. 

My  message  is  that  the  newspaper  men  are  standing  ready  to  co-operate 
with  you  in  putting  across  any  program  which  you  may  have.  We  are 
ready  to  give  you  more  space  than  we  have  given  and  are  ready  to  push 
your  whole  program  for  a  forest  policy.  (Applause) 

THE  CHAIRMAN :  Our  next  subject  relates  to  wood-using  industries. 
It  is  "The  Timber  Supply  in  Relation  to  the  Retail  Trade."  Mr.  Findlay 
M.  Torrence,  secretary  of  the  Ohio  Retail  Lumber  Dealers'  association  is 
our  first  speaker  on  this  subject.  (Applause) 

MR.  FINDLAY  M.  TORRENCE :  Mr.  Chairman  and  gentlemen,  if  you 
will  bear  with  me,  I  am  going  to  change  my  subject  to  read  "The  Retail 
Trade  in  Relation  to  the  Timber  Supply". 

The  lay  public  naturally  looks  to  the  local  lumber  dealers  as  an  author- 
ity  on  trees. 


93 

When  the  ladies  Friday  Afternoon  Society  or  the  Nature  Study  Club 
asks  him  to  read  a  paper  about  the  trees,  he  usually  feels  complimented 
and  manages  to  crib  a  few  statistics  and  make  good.  But  he  does  not 
take  the  job  very  seriously.  I  believe  that  he  should  take  the  job  seriously 
and  to  that  end  I  have  a  few  suggestions  to  make. 

One  of  the  curious  phases  of  the  retail  lumber  industry  today  is  the 
air  of  complacent  detachment  and  indifference  of  the  average  retailer  of 
lumber  toward  all  problems  of  timber  conservation.  To  him  a  sixty 
year  supply  of  timber  seems  like  an  eternal  supply. 

The  attitude  of  the  retailer  is  too  often  a  feeling  that  "sufficient  unto 
the  day  is  the  profit  thereof".  He  is  too  prone  to  regard  as  visionary  and 
academic  those  discussions  and  those  movements  which  have  to  do  with 
the  future  stability  and  permanence  of  his  business;  the  welfare  of  his 
industry  a  score  or  more  years  hence. 

I  was  reminded  of  this  attitude  very  forcibly  when  I  endeavored  to  make 
some  inquiries  among  the  Ohio  Association  of  Retail  Lumber  Dealers  rel- 
ative to  the  local  timber  supply  in  relation  to  the  retail  lumber  trade. 

I  discovered  that  less  than  2%  of  the  members  of  that  association  have 
any  saw-mill  connections  or  any  financial  interest  in  local  sources  of  timber 
supply,  and  it  is  manifest  from  the  discussion  of  the  conservation  question 
in  our  district  meetings  that  a  still  smaller  percentage  of  them  feel  any 
personal  concern  in  the  preservation  of  our  forest  resources. 

The  retailer  of  lumber  is  not  to  be  censored  too  severely  for  this 
attitude.  The  problems  of  his  business  are  so  manifold ;  the  competition 
he  encounters  so  keen  and  the  general  technique  of  his  profession  is  so 
exacting,  that  the  average  lumberman  must  keep  his  nose  to  the  grindstone 
and  his  eyes  glued  to  the  opportunity  immediately  ahead,  rather  than  to 
problems  which  he  feels  will  concern  a  succeeding  generation.  At  least  he 
must  do  so  when  acting  in  his  individual  capacity. 

And  yet  I  believe  there  is  a  possibility  of  making  the  retail  distributor 
of  lumber  an  effective  agency  for  constructive  conservation  work. 

If  this  is  done,  however,  the  appeal  will  have  to  be  made  to  the  retailers 
collectively,  rather  than  to  the  retailer  as  an  individual.  The  retail  dealers 
will  have  to  be  interested  in  the  work  through  an  appeal  for  such  service 
from  their  local  and  district  state  commercial  associations. 

The  aggregate  membership  of  the  lumber  organizations  in  the  three 
states  participating  in  this  conference,  is  more  than  1500.  Each  state 
association  is  now  thoroughly  and  efficiently  organized,  with  local  zone 
or  district  groups,  comprising  the  dealers  in  every  city,  county,  or  several 
adjacent  counties.  It  is  these  groups  of  lumbermen  which  I  feel  could  be 
converted  into  effective  agencies  through  which  the  state  departments  of 
conservation  could  be  assisted  in  functioning. 

In  the  first  place,  if  I  may  digress  slightly,  I  do  not  see  why  the  lumber 
manufacturers'  associations,  such  as  the  Southern  Cypress,  Southern  Pine, 
West  Coast  Association,  etc.,  should  not  be  encouraged  or  required  to 
assume  responsibility  for  reforestation  projects  as  associations.  What 
may  prove  to  be  a  very  burdensome  and  poorly  performed  duty,  if  required 
of  the  timber  manufacturers,  as  individual  competitive  concerns,  might 
be  eagerly  and  efficiently  performed  as  an  association  enterprise.  Espe- 


94 

cially  would  this  be  the  case  if  the  lumber  manufacturers  were  permitted 
to  assess  the  cost  of  the  undertaking  against  the  consumer  of  lumber,  where 
it  should  properly  be  distributed.  Thus  the  consumer  of  lumber  as  such 
would  be  called  upon  to  provide  a  sinking  fund  for  the  amortization  of  his 
debt  to  future  generations  for  his  use  of  timber  resources  which  belong 
to  succeeding  generations  just  as  truly  as  to  the  present. 

I  do  not  feel  that  a  plan  of  reforestation  which  the  lumber  manufac- 
turers would  regard  as  compulsory  and  unfair  will  ever  be  a  success.  Such 
organized  opposition  as  they  are  in  a  position  to  give  coercive  reforestation 
programs,  would  result  merely  in  lavish  expenditures  for  court  procedure. 
And  in  the  national  forestry  project  becoming  a  political  issue,  we  can 
readily  see  how  impossible,  how  absolutely  disastrous  it  would  be  to  have 
the  problem  bandied  about  between  contending  political  parties  with  one 
party  carefully  nullifying  all  that  their  predecessors  in  office  had  accomp- 
lished. 

But  I  do  not  feel  that  the  lumber  manufactures  would  regard  as  coercive 
the  requirements  that  they  turn  over  to  their  association  a  certain  number 
of  pennies  for  every  thousand  feet  of  lumber  they  sell  to  be  used  in  re- 
forestation. 

Such  an  arrangement  would  give  the  associations  a  certain  property 
nucleus  which  would  do  a  great  deal  to  insure  their  permanent  func- 
tioning. Such  a  plan  would  also  call  forth  the  competitive  impulse  as 
between  the  associations  representing  the  different  species. 

And  such  a  plan  would  avoid  the  tendency  toward  state  socialism  which 
lies  in  the  direction  of  the  entire  forest  resources  of  the  future,  being  the 
creation  and  property  of  the  government  rather  than  the  creation  of  private 
enterprise. 

It  may  be  objected  that  these  organizations  are  only  indirectly  or 
vaguely  of  a  public  character,  and  that  they  might  not  therefore  be  respon- 
sible custodians  of  such  a  trust,  but  is  it  not  true  that  we  have  neglected 
too  much  in  the  past  the  opportunity  of  utilizing  organizations  of  a  quasi- 
public  character  in  the  administration  of  public  and  patrotic  work? 

The  war  taught  us  what  these  organizations  might  accomplish  in  the 
tasks  incident  to  community  or  national  welfare. 

It  is  true  that  the  commercial  organizations  to  which  I  refer  are  created 
for  a  selfish  commercial  purpose,  but  I  am  sure  that  they  would  welcome 
the  opportunity  to  broaden  the  scope  of  their  activities  and  undertake  a 
work  such  as  I  gather  it  is  the  purpose  of  this  conference  to  launch. 

During  the  war  some  statesman  asserted  that  no  institution  would  sur^ 
vive  long  after  the  world  war,  which  could  not  demonstrate  that  it  con- 
tributed or  ministered  in  some  essential  degree  to  human  welfare. 

Applying  that  standard,  I  am  somewhat  inclined  to  question  whether  or 
not  a  commercial  organization  which  has  no  reason  for  existence  other 
than  the  selfish  aggrandizement  of  its  members  is  justifiable. 

The  day  is  here  when  the  serious  and  thoughtful  organization  executive 
recognizes  that  his  organization  must  be  made  an  implement  for  the 
advancement  of  civic  and  patriotic  interests ;  for  the  promotion  of  public 
and  community  welfare,  as"  well  as  for  the  advancement  of  the  interests  of 
the  organization  members. 


95 

I  do  not  believe  that  any  quasi-public  organization,  be  it  commercial, 
social  or  labor  organization,  will  be  long  tolerated — or  should  be  tolerated 
— which  can  not  demonstrate  that  the  public  welfare  as  well  as  the 
interest  of  its  members,  is  advanced  through  its  activities. 

The  organization  executive  of  serious  purpose  realizes  that  he  directs 
a  vehicle  of  powerful  influence  for  good  or  evil.  He  is  confronted  on  all 
sides  today  with  evidences  of  the  misuse  of  that  power  by  thoughtless  and 
irresponsible  organization  leaders. 

The  menace  of  the  destructive  possiblities  of  purely  selfish  or  misguided 
organizations  has  awakened  the  conservative  organization  leader  to  a  new 
sense  of  his  responsibility  in  the  social  and  economic  fabric. 

You  will  find  these  organizations  eager  to  devote  time  and  money 
and  effort  to  such  public  spirited  activities  as  your  State  Departments  are 
now  fostering.  You  will  find  the  Lumber  Dealers'  Organization  eager  to  be 
of  service  in  forest  conservation  projects. 

Of  course,  the  details  of  their  participation  will  have  to  be  carefully 
worked  out,  but  it  would  seem  to  me  that  they  might  serve  effectively  in 
conducting  a  survey  of  timber  areas  in  each  of  the  local  communities  and 
that  they  could  report  also  areas  that  could  be  more  profitably  devoted  to 
timber  crops  than  to  agriculture. 

Second,  they  could  conduct  educational  campaigns  against  uneconomic 
and  destructive  methods  of  utilizing  wood  lot  products. 

Year  after  year  the  retail  lumberman  has  sat  placidly  by  and  watched 
his  farmer  patrons  sacrifice  potential  fortunes  in  young  hardwood  timber, 
in  the  belief  that  tamarack,  cedar,  locust  or  cement  fence  posts  were  too 
high  priced. 

The  Retail  Lumber  Organization  should  combat  these  practices  by  educa- 
tional campaigns  in  reference  to  commercial  value — the  present  and  the 
prospective  value,  of  various  species  and  growths  of  timber. 

I  see  no  reason  why  the  Lumber  Organizations  should  not  go  further 
than  this,  and  even  become  owners  of  timber  conservation  tracts  in  their 
respective  communities. 

Commercial  and  social  organizations  responded  loyally  to  the  "Buy-a- 
Bale-of-Cotton"  campaign  some  years  ago.  Why  should  they  not  respond 
just  as  readily  to  the  "Own-a-Tract-of-Timber"  campaign. 

I  feel  sure  that  the  local  lumber  dealers'  clubs  and  district  organizations 
at  least  could  be  interested  in  such  a  campaign.  Such  co-operative  owner- 
ship and  enterprise  would  give  them,  for  one  thing,  a  property  nucleus, 
which  would  go  far  toward  insuring  a  live,  permanent  interest  in  the  organ- 
ization. 

Areas  that  should  be  in  timber  to  prevent  erosion  can  generally  be 
bought  very  cheaply.  When  such  tracts  are  disclosed  in  the  association 
survey  to  which  I  have  alluded,  they  should  be  bought  up,  if  necessary, 
by  the  organizations  of  lumbermen. 

There  is  an  instance  in  point  at  the  present  time  in  my  own  county  in 
Ohio.  A  large  and  well-timbered  farm,  known  as  the  John  Bryan  farm,  has 
been  bequeathed  to  the  state  for  a  game  and  forest  reservation.  But  a 
provision  was  stipulated  by  the  eccentric  donor  that  there  should  never 
be  any  religious  services  conducted  on  the  premises. 


9(5 

It  is  improbable  that  the  state  officials  ever  would  have  repaired  to  the 
Bryan  farm  to  pray,  if  the  donor  had  not  mentioned  this  stipulation,  but 
as  it  is,  there  has  been  a  good  deal  of  opposition  expressed  by  religious 
organizations  against  the  state  accepting  the  farm  under  this  condition. 

Now,  in  a  case  of  that  kind,  if  the  opposition  should  definitely  block 
acceptance  of  the  gift,  steps  should  be  taken  to  have  some  semi-public 
organization  or  organizations  ready  to  step  in  and  keep  the  timber  pre- 
serve from  being  lost  to  posterity,  as  it  assuredly  will  be  if  it  is  sold  for 
private  exploitation. 

It  has  seemed  to  me  that  for  the  greater  part  of  this  territory  the  prob- 
lem of  timber  conservation  is  chiefly  one  of  intelligent  maintenance  of  the 
farmers'  wood  lot. 

Most  of  the  young  growth  on  these  wood  lots  is  sacrificed  for  fence 
posts  and  similar  uses  on  the  farm.  The  lot  is  then  closely  pastured  so 
that  the  seedlings  have  no  chance.  The  wood  lot  soon  becomes  a  grove 
of  matured  trees,  and  it  is  ultimately  skinned  off  entirely.  This  practice 
can  be  combated  by  the  right  kind  of  educational  propaganda,  and  organ- 
izations such  as  the  one  I  represent  should  be  encouraged  to  make  it  their 
duty  to  spread  the  propaganda.  The  State  Bureaus  can  accomplish  much, 
I  am  sure,  by  encouraging  the  State,  District  and  Local  Lumber  association 
to  assume  repsonsibility  as  custodians  for  timber  areas,  trustees  for  the 
permanent  protection  of  sylviculture  in  their  respective  communities. 
(Applause) 

THE  CHAIRMAN :  We  will  next  hear  from  Mr.  Harry  Scearce,  who  is 
a  member  of  the  Indiana  Retail  Lumber  Dealers'  Association.  (Applause) 
MR.  HARRY  SCEARCE:  In  a  study  of  the  lumber  industry  covering 
the  distribution  of  softwood  lumber  in  the  middle  west,  made  by  the  Forest 
Service,  it  was  learned  that  over  ninety-five  per  cent,  of  the  lumber  sold 
in  this  territory  is  distributed  through  the  retail  yards. 

In  1914  eleven  of  the  central  states  had  eleven  hundred  yards,  eighty- 
one  per  cent,  being  in  towns  of  two  thousand  five  hundred  and  less,  and  sold 
over  seven  billion  feet  of  lumber,  this  being  an  average  per  capita  consump- 
tion of  approximately  three  hundred  feet. 

To  illustrate  what  this  means:  Indianapolis  has  a  population  of  three 
hundred  thousand  in  round  numbers,  applying  the  average  annual  consump- 
tion of  three  hundred  feet,  means  that  it  requires  ninety  million  feet  of 
lumber,  or  thirty-six  hundred  carloads  of  twenty-five  thousand  feet,  to 
supply  the  demand  in  this  city  from  the  retail  yards. 

To  move  all  of  this  at  one  time,  would  require  thirty-six  thousand  three 
ton  trucks,  hauling  twenty-five  hundred  feet  each  and  forming  a  proces- 
sion in  close  formation  two  hundred  miles  in  length.  Applying  this  to  the 
entire  country,  in  which  it  is  estimated  there  are  forty-two  thousand  retail 
lumber  yards  and  you  have  some  idea  of  the  importance  in  the  industry  of 
the  retail  branch. 

The  investigation  of  the  lumber  industry  by  the  Forest  Service,  at  the 
request  of  the  Federal  Trade  Commission,  has  cleared  away  many  erron- 
eous impressions  held  by  the  public,  especially  in  reference  to  the  retail 
part  of  it. 


97 

The  economic  necessity  of  the  retail  lumber  yard  was  established  beyond 
question,  for  it  was  found  that  of  the  more  than  twenty-seven  billion  feet 
sold  in  the  entire  country  at  retail,  the  average  sale  was  considerably  less 
than  $100.00. 

Quoting  from  Forest  Report  No.  116,  "Considering  the  location  of  the 
bulk  of  the  saw  mills  with  respect  to  the  one  hundred  million  lumber  con- 
sumers throughout  the  United  States,  together  with  the  service  demanded 
by  the  average  user,  it  comes  apparent  that  some  type  of  local  retail  yard 
which  assembles  stocks  of  lumber  from  several  producing  regions  in  car- 
load lots  and  provides  time  and  place  utility  for  the  customer  is  essential 
to  the  practicable  distribution  of  the  bulk  of  the  lumber  required  in  rela- 
tively small  and  diversified  amounts. 

"The  retail  dealer  who  makes  a  technical  study  of  the  relative  merits 
of  different  structural  materials  for  different  uses  may  occupy  the  position 
of  an  unbiased  adviser  who  is  capable  of  rendering  a  valuable  economic 
service  to  this  community." 

The  retail  lumber  dealer,  then,  who  comes  so  directly  in  touch  with  the 
user  is  most  deeply  interested  in  the  source  of  supply  of  timber,  how  long 
it  will  last  and  what  is  being  done  to  conserve  and  replenish  it.  The  United 
States  has  had  during  the  past  forty  years,  three  great  principal  sources 
Of  supply,  The  Lake  States,  The  Southern  States  and  the  Pacific  Northwest. 

According  to  a  recognized  authority,  the  present  supply  of  all  merchant- 
able timber  is  two  thousand  six  hundred  thirty-seven  billion  feet,  as  of 
January,  1916,  of  which  one  thousand  four  hundred  eighty-two  billion  feet, 
or  fifty-six  and  two-tenths  per  cent,  is  in  the  Pacific  northwest,  Oregon, 
California,  Idaho  and  Montana ;  five  hundred  forty-five  billion  feet,  or 
twenty  and  ^even-tenths  per  cent,  in  the  southern  states ;  ninety  billion  feet, 
or  thirty-four  per  cent,  in  the  lake  states,  and  the  remaining  five  hundred 
thirty  billion,  or  nineteen  and  seven-tenths  per  cent,  in  the  remaining  forest 
regions,  including  the  central  hardwood  belt. 

The  record  of  production  covering  the  thirty-five  years  from  1880  to 
1915,  discloses  that  the  lake  states  produced  in  1880  thirty-five  and  one-tenth 
per  cent,  of  the  lumber  from  the  three  great  districts,  but  in  1915  only  nine 
and  three-tenths  per  cent,  was  produced  in  that  territory.  The  southern 
states  were  producing  fifteen  and  nine-tenths  per  cent,  in  1880  and  rose  to 
forty-eight  and  nine-tenths  per  cent,  in  1915,  while  the  Pacific  northwest 
furnished  but  three  and  eight-tenths  per  cent,  in  1880,  while  in  1915  it  was 
cutting  twenty-one  and  four-tenths  per  cent,  of  the  total. 

My  own  experience  in  the  lumber  business  goes  back  to  the  early  part 
of  the  nineties,  just  about  the  time  southern  yellow  pine  was  getting  into 
the  markets  north  of  the  Ohio  river,  and  beginning  to  displace  white  pine 
and  hemlock  in  southern  Illinois,  Indiana  and  Ohio. 

Prior  to  that  time  the  chief  source  of  supply  of  the  states  represented  in 
this  conference  had  been  Michigan,  Wisconsin  and  Minnesota.  Saw  mills 
located  along  the  Mississippi  river  and  supplied  with  logs  brought  down 
in  rafts  from  the  woods  above,  distributed  their  products  through  Illinois 
and  westward,  while  large  distributing  yards  located  at  the  lake  cities 
received  barges  of  lumber  from  the  mills  in  the  north  and  shipped  it  out 
over  Indiana,  Ohio  and  the  east. 


98 

Michigan  City  was  the  principal  point  of  distribution  through  a  large 
portion  of  Indiana,  and  it  was  no  uncommon  practice  for  large  retail  deal- 
ers in  Indianapolis  and  other  cities  to  purchase  an  entire  barge-load  of 
lumber  and  bring  it  to  their  mills  where  it  was  worked  into  flooring,  siding, 
finish,  etc.,  and  sold  to  the  dealers  in  the  smaller  towns.  At  that  time  the 
demand  was  confined  to  three  or  four  different  kinds  of  wood,  the  base  of 
supply  was  near,  and  the  investment  of  the  average  retailer  consequently 
was  small. 

I  recall  when  hemlock  dimension  lumber  was  shipped  into  this  market 
from  Michigan  City  and  sold  at  retail  for  $11.00  per  thousand.  The  freight, 
as  I  recall  it,  was  about  $1.25  per  thousand  feet.  However,  as  the  timber 
in  these  states  that  were  located  near  the  water  was  cut  out,  and  it  was 
necessary  to  build  railroads  far  into  the  woods,  prices  began  to  rise  and 
southern  yellow  pine,  which  at  that  time  could  be  found  in  great  quantities 
along  almost  every  mile  of  railway  through  the  timber  states  of  the  south, 
found  a  market  in  the  north. 

The  freight  rates  were  low,  being  an  average  of  about  $4.50  per  thousand 
feet.  Stumpage  accessible  to  railroads  could  be  bought  for  $1.00  to  $2.00 
per  acre,  and  as  a  result,  prices  of  yellow  pine  lumber  were  low.  Recently 
when  looking  over  the  invoice  of  the  first  car  of  lumber  bought  by  my  com- 
pany, when  we  began  business  in  1892,  which  by  the  way  was  yellow  pine, 
I  find  we  paid,  delivered,  $16.75  per  thousand  for  four  inch  Star  flooring, 
that  grade  being  practically  clear,  $14.00  for  ten  inch,  number  two  boards 
and  $14.75  for  six  inch  number  one  common  drop  siding.  These  prices  do 
not  represent  the  present  cost  of  freight  from  the  northwest. 

Now  when  the  easily  accessible  timber  in  the  south  has  been  cut"  and 
logging  operations  have  become  very  expensive,  prices  have  sharply  ad- 
vanced. Freight  rates  have  gone  higher  as  the  average  haul  has  become 
longer,  the  rate  from  the  south  being  now  practically  double  that  of  twenty- 
five  years  ago. 

Statistics  of  the  supply  and  cut  of  timber  show  that  the  source  of 
supply  is  again  shifting  and  the  northwest  is  now  the  only  great  reser- 
voir of  supply  left,  but  on  account  of  the  great  distance  and  expensive 
methods  of  logging  made  necessary  by  the  broken  country  and  great  size 
of  the  timber,  we  can  not  expect  the  low  prices  that  have  prevailed  in  the 
past  at  the  opening  of  a  new  timber  supply. 

At  the  present  rate  of  cutting,  figures  given  being  as  of  1916,  the  supply 
of  all  available  merchantable  timber  in  the  United  States,  making  no 
allowance  for  new  growth  and  based  on  present  utilization  and  consump- 
tion, is  shown  as  follows : 

Pacific   Northwest    166  years 

Southern   States    30  years 

Lake    States    21  years 

All   Others    70  years 

or  an  equivalent  of  over  seventy  years.  This  discloses  the  rapid  approach 
of  the  end  of  the  supply  in  the  lake  and  southern  states,  and  means  that 
soon  the  entire  central  west  and  east  must  depend  upon  obtaining  all  their 
supply  of  timber  from  the  northwest,  at  a  freight  cost,  based  on  present 


rates,  of  from  $16.00  to  $20.00  per  thousand  feet,  unless  some  practical  plan 
of  reforestation  is  speedily  adopted.  In  some  sections  of  the  south,  pine 
has  grown  up  since  the  Civil  War  and  is  now  being  cut  and  marketed 
in  the  form  of  small  dimension  and  common  boards  and  when  put  to  uses 
for  which  it  is  suitable  is  practically  as  good  as  virgin  timber. 

This  fact  merely  indicates  the  possibility  of  growing  timber  in  a  com- 
mercial way  in  certain  localities.  I  am  not  prepared  to  discuss  policies 
or  plans  of  reforestation,  as  I  possess  no  technical  knowledge  on  the  subject, 
but  from  the  standpoint  of  a  retailer,  knowing  the  far-reaching  effect  upon 
prices  when  almost  the  entire  supply  of  timber  is  confined  to  one  section  of 
the  country  and  the  consequent  decline  in  the  use  of  lumber  as  a  structural 
material,  I  feel  that  I  may  safely  represent  the  retailers  of  Indiana  as 
favoring  national  and  state  legislation  that  would  have  for  its  purpose 
the  reforesting  of  a  vast  acreage  of  land  that  is  not  suitable  for  highly 
developed  agriculture,  but  is  adapted  to  the  successful  growing  of  trees. 
Given  proper  tax  exemption,  timber  landowners  could  be  encouraged  to 
reforest  the  land  from  which  the  trees  have  been  cut.  Waste  in  logging 
operations  should  be  avoided  so  far  as  possible,  but  perhaps  the  only  prac- 
tical solution  of  this  is  for  a  market  to  be  created  for  that  which  is  now 
not  worth  bringing  into  the  mill  and  manufacturing. 

This  is  a  feature  of  conservation  that  is  largely  up  to  the  retailer.  In 
the  past  it  has  been  the  practice  of  the  public  to  demand  certain  standard 
lengths  of  lumber,  regardless,  in  many  cases,  of  the  purpose  for  which  it 
was  intended. 

If,  for  instance,  four-foot  lengths  were  needed,  the  order  almost  invar- 
iably would  be  for  twelve  or  sixteen-foot  lengths.  Until  recent  scarcity  of 
stock  at  the  mills,  resulting  from  war  conditions,  short  lengths  were  not 
easily  marketable  at  prices  that  would  make  it  profitable  for  the  mill  to 
utilize  the  full  cut  of  the  log,  and  waste  resulted. 

That  there  is  a  use  for  lumber  two  feet  and  longer  is  obvious  to  anyone 
who  has  given  careful  thought  to  the  uses  to  which  it  is  or  may  be  put, 
and  with  the  proper  effort  on  the  part  of  the  dealer,  the  user  can  be  induced 
to  buy  eight  two-foot  pieces  instead  of  one  sixteen,  if  the  former  is  the 
length  needed. 

In  other  words,  if  the  retailer  of  lumber  is  to  best  serve  the  public, 
he  must  seek  to  bring  his  merchandising  methods  to  the  highest  point  of 
efficiency.  His  place  of  business  must  take  on  more  the  aspect  of  a  lumber 
store,  rather  than  merely  a  yard,  which  is  conceived  by  the  public  to  be 
a  piece  of  ground  covered  by  a  miscellaneous  lot  of  more  or  less  orderly 
piles  of  lumber,  to  be  first  sent  to  a  mill  to  be  worked  or  put  in  shape  by  a 
skilled  carpenter  before  it  is  ready  for  use.  This  is  true  of  a  considerable 
part  of  the  lumber  that  goes  into  general  construction,  but  there  is  a 
demand  for  small  ready-to-use  pieces,  the  supply  of  which,  to  the  public, 
would  result  in  a  closer  utilization  of  the  tree  in  the  woods  and  at  the  mill. 

The  retail  lumber  associations  have  done  a  great  deal  to  bring  about 
better  methods  in  the  distribution  of  lumber.  The  programs  have  been 
almost  entirely  given  over  to  the  discussion  of  economies,  efficiency  of  ser- 
vice and  better  accounting.  The  problems  of  conservation  and  reforestation 
are  now  recognized  as  vital  to  the  industry  and  from  now  on  will  receive 
the  most  careful  thought  and  the  heartiest  support  of  the  membership. 


100 

It  is  not  my  purpose,  in  this  brief  paper,  to  offer  a  solution  of  the 
problems  that  are  before  this  conference,  but  rather  to  give  in  a  small  way 
a  practical  view  of  the  retail  lumber  conditions  as  have  existed  in  the 
past,  and  as  now  exist,  hoping  to  throw  some  light  on  the  situation,  and 
to  show  that  by  reason  of  the  close  touch  the  retailers  of  softwood  lumber 
have  with  the  buying  public,  they  are  in  an  excellent  position  to  assist  to 
a  considerable  degree  in  the  educational  work  necessary  to  the  successful 
realization .  of  any  plan  thai  may  be  worked  out  by  this  conference. 
(Applause) 

THE  CHAIRMAN:  That  ends  our  program  for  this  afternoon,  I  will 
call  for  a  report  of  the  resolutions  committee. 

Mr.  Richard  Lieber,  Chairman,  Resolutions  Committee:  "I  will  first 
present  a  number  of  resolutions  sent  in  by  county  fish  and  game  and  forest 
associations  of  Indiana  relative  to  forest  conditions." 

It  was  moved  and  seconded  that  the  reading  of  the  report  of  these 
resolutions  be  dispensed  with,  but  that  the  resolutions  be  made  a  part 
of  the  record.  Motion  carried. 

Mr.  Lieber  then  read  the  report  of  the  resolutions  committee  which  was 
seconded  and  carried. 

Resolutions  sent  in  by  the  following  County  Organizations : 

Howard  County  Fish,  Game  &  Bird  Protective  Association,  Kokomo,  Ind. 

Clay  County  Fish,  Game  &  Bird  Protective  Association. 

Keego  Angling  Club,  Indianapolis,  Indiana. 

Foots  Lake  Pleasure  Club,  Evansville,  Indiana. 

Floyd  County  Fish  &  Game  Protective  Association,  New  Albany,  Indiana. 

WHEREAS,  The  timber  stands  and  timber  resources  of  the  state  are 
being  rapidly  depleted; 

WHEREAS,  Reforesting,  both  natural  and  artificial  of  cut-over  and 
denuded  areas  is  alarmingly  inadequate; 

WHEREAS,  Private  forestry  is  doing  nothing  to  meet  the  situation  due 
to  increased  land  values  and  profits  from  the  grazing  industry ; 

WHEREAS,  The  removal  of  forests  is  resulting  in  greatly  lowering  the 
water  level  with  resulted  bad  effect  upon  streams  and  water  supplies,  which 
in  turn  is  working  to  decrease  the  fish  life  in  our  waters ; 

WHEREAS,  The  disappearance  of  our  forests  is  removing  the  natural 
habitat  of  wild  game  with  a  great  decrease  in  wild  life  which  must  soon 
result  in  its  complete  disappearance  and  cause  a  loss  to  sportsmen ; 

WHEREAS,  Laws  and  measures  for  the  control  of  timber  and  timber 
supplies  are  non-existant,  and  their  absence  must  soon  bring  us  to  privation 
and  want; 

WHEREAS,  The  present  conditions  must  soon  result  in  the  paralysis 
and  death  of  our  great  wood-using  industries ; 

WHEREAS,  The  timber  and  forestry  resources  and  supplies  constitute 
a  stupendous  and  indispensable  commodity  and  have  no  law  or  practice  to 
regulate  them ; 

RESOLVED,  That  laws  be  enacted  whereby  the  state  will  acquire  and 
plant  and  cause  to  be  planted  forestry  acreage  sufficient  to  insure  a  perm- 
anent timber  supply. 


101 

RESOLVED,  That  lumbering  be  done  on  an  economic  basis,  and,  that 
the  acreage  be  of  sufficient  proportions  to  supply  all  needs  without  impair- 
ment or  reduction. 

RESOLVED,  That  the  tax  law  should  be  so  amended  as  to  make  it 
possible  and  profitable  to  maintain  the  necessary  wood  lot  on  farms. 

RESOLVED,  That  the  public,  commercial  and  technical  interests  should 
co-operate  to  the  end  that  a  permanent  timber  supply  will  be  assured. 

RESOLVED,  That  a  copy  of  these  resolutions  be  sent  to  federal  and 
state  senators  and  representatives  with  the  request  that  they  use  their  best 
endeavors  to  secure  the  passage  of  laws  as  herein  set  forth  to  the  lasting 
benefit  and  security  of  all. 

RESOLUTIONS  TRI-STATE  FORESTRY  CONFERENCE. 

WHEREAS,  The  forests  of  the  states  of  Ohio,  Illinois  and  Indiana 
have  been  practically  depleted  and  but  little  timber  remains  in  the  New 
England  and  the  northeastern  sections  of  the  United  States.  The  southern 
forests  which  have  been  the  main  source  of  supply  for  these  three  states 
will  be  exhausted  within  the  next  decade  or  two ;  * 

WHEREAS,  There  is  a  large  portion  of  cut-over  timber  land  on  rugged 
topography  and  poor  soil  which  is  not  adaptable  to  profitable  agriculture 
and  which  should  be  growing  forests  for  our  future  supply.  A  large  part 
of  that  which  is  being  farmed  will  soon  be  completely  lost  by  erosion ; 

WHEREAS,  The  price  of  timber  is  rapidly  increasing,  consequent  upon 
the  decrease  of  the  supply ; 

WHEREAS,  The  practice  of  forestry  on  essentially  timber  land  is  dis- 
couraged by  the  present  system  of  taxation.  The  possibility  of  an  annual 
cash  income  from  the  growing  of  tobacco  and  small  fruits,  and  grazing, 
further  discourage  forests ; 

WHEREAS,  in  the  large  share  of  cases  it  is  impractical  and  unprofit- 
able for  private  interests  to  use  their  land  in  the  growth  of  timber,  since 
the  investment  must  run  for  a  long  term  of  years.  The  state  can  best  meet 
a  situation  which  requires  the  investment  of  large  funds  for  many  years, 
through  the  purchase  of  public  lands  for  reforestation ; 

WHEREAS,  There  are  four  thousand  wood-using  industries  in  Ohio, 
Illinois  and  Indiana  whose  main  source  of  supply  was  native-grown  timber 
which,  if  the  present  supply  is  not  maintained,  must  perish,  move  to  the 
source  of  supply,  or  bring  in  materials  at  a  greatly  increased  cost ; 

EMPLOYES 

Illinois  Indiana  Ohio 

All    Industries    620,000  265,000  600,000 

Wood-Using  Industries    140,000  70,000  90,000 

CAPITAL 

All    Industries    ..$2,000,000,000    $675,000,000    $1,675,000,000 

Wood-Using  Industries 400,000,000      175,000,000        160,000,000 


102 

PRODUCTS 

Illinois  Indiana  Ohio 

All  Industries    $2,250,000,000     $730,000,000     $1,785,000,000 

Wood-Using    Industries    320,000,000      140,000,000         175,000,000 

WHEREAS,  There  is  a  large  annual  economic  waste  due  to  forest  fires, 
since,  in  the  three  states  concerned,  there  has  been  no  system  of  forest 
fire  protection  developed ; 

WHEREAS,  There  is  great  need  of  an  extensive  and  thorough  cam- 
paign for  the  purpose  of  educating  the  public  to  the  extremity  of  the  forest 
situation  and  the  necessity  of  action ; 

WHEREAS,  The  forestry  situation  and  threatening  condition  of  the 
wood-using  industries  requires  immediate  action  to  the  end  that  a  policy 
may  be  adopted  and  legislation  enacted  which  will  insure  a  permanent 
supply  of  timber ; 

THEREFORE,  BE  IT  RESOLVED,  by  the  Tri-State  Forestry  Confer- 
ence of  Ohio,  Illinois  and  Indiana,  convened  at  Indianapolis,  on  October 
22nd,  and  23rd,  1919,  the  Governors  of  the  respective  states  concurring 
therein,  that  the  attention  of  the  public  and  legislatures  of  the  said  states, 
be  called  to  the  necessity  of  legislative  action  which  will  lead  to  the 
assurance  of  a  permanent  timber  supply. 

BE  IT  RESOLVED,  That  a  system  of  taxation  on  timberlands  be 
adopted  which  will  discourage  premature  and  wasteful  cutting  and  encour- 
age forest  renewal. 

BE  IT  RESOLVED,  That  the  states  should  greatly  increase  their  forest 
holdings  by  purchase  of  young-second-growth  and  land  adapted  to  refor- 
estation, made  possible  by  a  bond  issue  of  fifty  to  one  hundred  years' 
maturity,  so  the  burden  may  be  equally  distributed  through  generations. 

Urging  that  large  holdings  by  the  states  will  present  a  steady  and 
permanent  source  of  supply  which  will  stabilize  timber  prices. 

RESOLVED,  That  this  conference  urges  upon  our  representatives  in 
congress  the  necessity  for  largely  increased  appropriations  tinder  the  pur- 
chase clause  of  the  Weeks  Act,  to  extend  the  area  of  national  forests  and 
particularly  into  the  hardwood  regions  of  West  Virginia,  Kentucky  and 
Tennesse  from  which  the  three  states  concerned  already  draw  a  large  por- 
tion of  their  hardwood  supply. 

Be  it  further  urged  that  the  federal  congress  appropriate  adequate  funds 
for  co-operation  with  the  states  in  forestry,  as  it  is  doing  in  road  building, 
agricultural  extension,  vocational  education  and  other  activities,  with  the 
especial  object  of  encouraging  farm  forestry  extension  under  the  Smith- 
Lever  Act,  reforestation  of  idle  lands  and  protection  against  fire. 

BE  IT  RESOLVED,  That  the  states  launch  an  extensive  and  thorough 
campaign  through  the  press,  the  schools,  the  pulpit  and  mails,  to  arouse 
the  public  to  the  need  of  a  State  Forest  Policy  and  necessity  of  action 
toward  the  assurance  of  a  permanent  timber  supply. 

It  is  furthermore  urged  that  forestry  education  should  be  made  a  pror 
gressive  part  of  the  public  school  curriculum. 


103 

BE  IT  RESOLVED,  That  the  work  of  the  Tri-State  Forestry  Conference 
continue  through  State  Forestry  Educational  Committees,  these  committees 
to  be  formed  independently  in  each  of  the  three  states  under  the  direction 
of  the  state  official  having  forestry  in  charge  and  to  select  from  their 
number  three  persons,  to  serve  on  an  executive  committee  governing  the 
policies  of  the  participating  states. 

BE  IT  RESOLVED,  That  the  conference  expresses  the  appreciation 
of  the  work  of  the  Governor  of  Indiana  for  calling  the  congress,  the  repre- 
sentatives of  the  Federal  Forest  Service,  officers  of  other  states  who  con- 
tributed their  presence  and  papers,  the  War  Department  and  the  New 
York  Conservation  Commission  for  the  loan  of  films  and  the  press  for  their 
hearty  support. 

BE  IT  RESOLVED,  That  a  copy  of  these  resolutions  be  transmitted  to 
the  President  of  the  United  States,  the  Chairman  of  the  Agricultural  Com- 
mittee, and  House  of  Representatives,  to  our  representatives  in  Congress, 
the  Legislatures  of  Ohio,  Illinois  and  Indiana,  the  Governors  of  the  said 
States,  the  Forester  of  the  United  States,  and  the  President  of  the  Amer- 
ican Forestry  Association. 

ADJOURNMENT. 


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